Title: Molecules, Meaning and the Prepared Mind.
Abstract: More than most fields of science, the study of atmospheric chemistry and climate change presents examples of chance favouring the prepared mind. Climate change researchers deal with phenomena that are seen but not known. Contemporary issues in atmospheric pollution and change have been profoundly influenced by the perception of the problem and by reasoning from analogy. Cases are presented from occupational health and airborne hazards, ambient air pollution, and global atmospheric change demonstrating how evolving perception has been both driven by and is productive of new insights into the health effects of exposure. Thinking "out of the box" is more than a cliché. Progress in this field has depended critically on openness to new ways of thinking, some of which has been counter-intuitive.Brochure - Y-File Article