Oh! Max! Thank you! (A------i, I know why you did this.) Several things in this article excited my interest. First, I thought it sounded a bit odd to read that he developed the "theory that the cosmos had no beginning...", but I put that down to the author of the article not expressing the theory as Mr. Hoyle would have. Nonetheless, it provided an interesting track for my mind to wander down: where did the very first
anythings come from? Electrons, atoms, and molecules--did they start off as pure energy, and gradually develop mass? And where did the energy come from?
Okay, okay, back to the article: I learned a new word!
Panspermia. I don't think I've ever heard it before, but I sure have heard of the theory that it's the name of! I also don't think I knew that Mr. H. and the other person,
Chandra Wickramasinghe, were the progenitors of it.
I also have a question: he was a Plumian Professor of Astronomy at Cambridge University. What the heck is a Plumian anything, please?
Amen to your valediction to the great FH, Max. He was, indeed©, a genius.
As to the "Plumian" bit, Jackie - I don't know the details of this one, but it is almost certainly either the person who endowed the Chair in Astronomy or else it is named after an emminent astronomer - presumably named Plum!
In reply to:
an emminent astronomer - presumably named Plum!
Proffessor Plum in the libbrary with the canndlestick?
Proffessor Plum in the libbrary with the canndlestick?
Yeeessss. I had heard the rumours. Something that C.S. Lewis would have enjoyed, no doubt?