why science rocks

I'm halfway through Isaacson's biography of Einstein. He just described Arthur Eddington's observation of the 1919 solar eclipse, from Brazil and the island of Principe off the coast of Africa. The results confirmed Einstein's prediction based on the general theory of relativity. And it really launched Einstein's fame to a global level.

I think it's a great example of why science is so great. Isaacson points out that it was quite "an audacious idea that a team of English scientists should prove the theory of a German, even as the two nations were at war." Scientists tend to look beyond provincial boundaries and see the value of international collaboration, regardless of whatever short-term (even militaristic) political conflicts. Those are the kind of people you want to surround yourself with.