For years it was stated that men had forty-eight chromosomes in their cells; there were pictures to prove it… — Michael Crichton
For years it was stated that men had forty-eight chromosomes in their cells; there were pictures to prove it, and any number of careful studies. In 1953, a group of American researchers announced to the world that the human chromosome number was forty-six. Once more, there were pictures to prove it, and studies to confirm it. But these researchers also went back to reexamine the old pictures, and the old studies — and found only forty-six chromosomes, not forty-eight.
Leavitt's Rule of 48 said simply, "All Scientists Are Blind."
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More from this book
Houston: Scoop, Houston Projection Group has confirmed orbital instability and decay ratios are now being passed by the data trunk to your station.
Scoop: How do they look, Houston?
Houston: Bad.
Scoop: Not understood. Please repeat.
Houston: Bad: B as in broken, A as in awful, D as in dropping.
On the cover of the file was stenciled WILDFIRE, and underneath, an ominous note:
THIS FILE IS CLASSIFIED TOP SECRET.
Examination by unauthorized access is a criminal offense punishable by fines and imprisonment up to 20 years and $20,000.
When Leavitt gave him the file, Hall had read the note and whistled.
"Don't you believe it," Leavitt said.
"Just a scare?"
"Scare, hell," Leavitt said. "If the wrong man reads this file, he just disappears."
He [Stone] often argued that human intelligence was more trouble than it was worth. It was more destructive than creative, more confusing than revealing, more discouraging than satisfying, more spiteful than charitable.
