Comments on: The Quick 10: 10 Mad Scientists

By: Celare

Celare — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:53:44 +0000

If you’re interested in Fritz Haber specifically, or just this sort of topic, I highly recommend one of Radiolabs latest episodes, “The Bad Show.” It has a section mostly about Haber, plus the show in general is just awesome.

radiolab.org

By: ascendingPig

ascendingPig — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:27:10 +0000

You just forgot Fritz Haber. Inventor of the Haber Process, which is the reason why our soil hasn’t run out of nitrogen due to agricultural overproduction, he’s saved billions of lives.

Yet he also invented chemical warfare and personally led many raids for the Germans during WWI.

His wife, also a scientist, killed herself, probably in protest of the raids, which she did not approve of. He left his only son at home alone with her to go on a raid the next day. His son would later kill himself as well.

Haber died of heart failure well before WWII, but not before having to resign from his position as the head of a major chemical engineering lab in the employ of the German government. As a German Jew, he was allowed to continue government work thanks to his WWI service, but many of his employees did not qualify for that exemption.

Haber’s lab invented Zyklon A, which became Zyklon B once the warning smell component was removed. Zyklon B was, of course, used to kill off his extended family.

THAT’s what I’d call a cautionary tale of mad science.

By: Drew

Drew — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:54:50 +0000

@??? – this is for you: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_D_Z-D2tzi14/S8TRIo4br3I/AAAAAAAACv4/Zh7_GcMlRKo/s400/ALOT.png

By: ???

??? — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:13:31 +0000

Interesting article, but there are alot of typos.

By: stacy

stacy — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 21:01:00 +0000

@Josh – the book Strange Brains and Genius by Clifford A. Pickover.

By: Josh

Josh — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 20:32:00 +0000

Stacy, wondering where you got the Tesla quote about the pigeon.

Thanks,
Josh

By: Jill

Jill — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:52:00 +0000

I agree! We need a Rocky Horror Quick 10..maybe just in time for halloween?

By: moonablaze

moonablaze — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 07:43:00 +0000

Mengle’s atrocities could fill several books. The obstetrician who delivered my mother was in the camps with him and would perform abortions (With whatever tools she could find) to keep him from experimenting on the mothers.

After the war she came to the US and delivered my uncle and mother. In the 80s a tv movie was made about her story. My mom grew up to become an obstetrician too!

By: Mare

Mare — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 03:44:00 +0000

Although I have sworn off illegal substances, being someone’s mom now, I have to say that I want some of what Solomon there has been smoking/snorting/shooting/imbibing/injecting.

Mad science, indeed!

recaptcha: Malcourt outdoors

By: PartiallyDeflected

PartiallyDeflected — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 03:30:00 +0000

somehow Dibble just doesn’t sound as scary as Frankenstein