Of all possible insane ideas, few others would beat this one. Some scientist wants to dig out Galileo Galilei's remains to carry out DNA tests on them, apparently to verify whether he suffered from bad eyesight, which might in turn shed a light on the veracity of his discoveries. Apparently, this mad scientist also wants to confirm whether it was really Galileo's daughter who was buried beside him.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0122/breaking56.htm
I couldn't even believe I was hearing right when my good friend Adrian mentioned the story over coffee this morning. Sorry, Adrian, I believe I do owe you an apology.
The idea is silly, first of all, because even if Galileo suffered from bad eyesight, which seems to be the general agreement according to historical accounts, it constitutes no proof at all that whatever he had seen through his telescope was not actually there. And even if it could constitute such a proof, to check whether Galileo's findings were right or wrong, rather than going to ridiculous lengths to establish that he was as short sighted as Mr Magoo, all one needs to do is study those conclusions themselves. Check the findings, not the eyesight of their discoverer. Jupiter's moons are still there, orbiting to their hearts' content, simply crying out to be studied.
And does it really matter if the remains buried next to Galileo's belong to his daughter or to someone else? I doubt if there are any known descendants of Galileo who will oppose this madness, but this doesn't give anyone the right to use whatever remains of his body for their own dubious ends. I don't think the great man himself, or anyone else for that matter, would consent to such a shameful intrusion. Let Galileo, and his memory, rest in peace!
2 comments:
Hi Tonio I've VERY recently started blogging and was browsing the site and came across your blog. I've thoroughy enjoyed several of your posts, including this one!! - and your fantastic photos. Love your marathon stories - a good friend of mine currently living in Japan is a keen marathon runner so I've become more interested in the sport through her. Best wishes for the rest of 2009, and I look forward to dipping in to your blog again. Fée verte
Thanks Fée, it's always nice to receive comments, even more so when they are positive like yours. Welcome to the blogging world! I find it's a fantastic medium, as it allows me to give vent to my ideas, irrespective of whether anyone reads them or not. Good luck for your blog. Cheers, Tonio.
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