TITLE: Scientists Being Scientists
AUTHOR: Eugene Wallingford
DATE: April 14, 2013  6:25 PM
DESC: 
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BODY:
Watson and Crick announced their discovery of the double helix
structure of DNA in
<A HREF="http://profiles.nlm.nih.gov/SC/B/B/Y/W/_/scbbyw.pdf">
   Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids</A>,
a marvel of concise science writing.  It has been widely extolled
for how much information it packs into a single page, including
the wonderfully understated line, "It has not escaped our notice
that the specific pairing we have postulated immediately suggests
a possible copying mechanism for the genetic material."

As I read this paper again recently, though, this passage stood
out:

<BLOCKQUOTE><EM>
The previously published X-ray data on deoxyribose nucleic acid
are insufficient for a rigorous test of our structure.  So far
as we can tell, it is roughly compatible with the experimental
data, but it must be regarded as unproved until it has been
checked against more exact results.
</EM></BLOCKQUOTE>

They are unpretentious sentences.  They do nothing special,
stating simply that more and better data are needed to test
their hypothesis.  This is not a time for hyperbole.  It is a
time to get back to the lab.

Just scientists being scientists.
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