{"id":"https://openalex.org/W1483415715","doi":"https://doi.org/10.5860/choice.51-1458","title":"Brilliant blunders: from Darwin to Einstein--colossal mistakes by great scientists that changed our understanding of life and the universe","display_name":"Brilliant blunders: from Darwin to Einstein--colossal mistakes by great scientists that changed our understanding of life and the universe","publication_year":2013,"publication_date":"2013-10-21","ids":{"openalex":"https://openalex.org/W1483415715","doi":"https://doi.org/10.5860/choice.51-1458","mag":"1483415715"},"language":"en","primary_location":{"id":"doi:10.5860/choice.51-1458","doi":"https://doi.org/10.5860/choice.51-1458","is_oa":false,"landing_page_url":"https://doi.org/10.5860/choice.51-1458","pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S2764375719","display_name":"Choice Reviews Online","issn_l":"0009-4978","issn":["0009-4978","1523-8253","1943-5975"],"is_oa":false,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":true,"listed_in":["cwts-core"],"host_organization":"https://openalex.org/P4310316146","host_organization_name":"Association of College and Research Libraries","host_organization_lineage":["https://openalex.org/P4310316146","https://openalex.org/P4310315903"],"host_organization_lineage_names":["Association of College and Research Libraries","American Library Association"],"type":"journal"},"license":null,"license_id":null,"version":"publishedVersion","is_accepted":true,"is_published":true,"raw_source_name":"Choice Reviews Online","raw_type":"journal-article"},"volume":null,"type":"book-review","is_traditional":true,"indexed_in":["crossref"],"open_access":{"is_oa":false,"oa_status":"closed","oa_url":null,"any_repository_has_fulltext":false},"authorships":[],"institutions":[],"countries_distinct_count":0,"institutions_distinct_count":0,"corresponding_author_ids":[],"corresponding_institution_ids":[],"apc_list":null,"apc_paid":null,"fwci":null,"has_fulltext":false,"cited_by_count":144,"citation_normalized_percentile":null,"cited_by_percentile_year":null,"biblio":{"volume":"51","issue":"03","first_page":"51","last_page":"1458"},"is_retracted":false,"is_paratext":false,"is_xpac":false,"primary_topic":{"id":"https://openalex.org/T14475","display_name":"History of Science and Medicine","score":0.9564999938011169,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/1207","display_name":"History and Philosophy of Science"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/12","display_name":"Arts and Humanities"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/2","display_name":"Social Sciences"}},"topics":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/T14475","display_name":"History of Science and Medicine","score":0.9564999938011169,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/1207","display_name":"History and Philosophy of Science"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/12","display_name":"Arts and Humanities"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/2","display_name":"Social Sciences"}},{"id":"https://openalex.org/T14517","display_name":"Diverse Historical and Scientific Studies","score":0.017000000923871994,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/1207","display_name":"History and Philosophy of Science"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/12","display_name":"Arts and Humanities"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/2","display_name":"Social Sciences"}},{"id":"https://openalex.org/T10778","display_name":"Philosophy of Biology and Scientific Explanation","score":0.007799999788403511,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/1207","display_name":"History and Philosophy of Science"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/12","display_name":"Arts and Humanities"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/2","display_name":"Social Sciences"}}],"keywords":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/scientific-errors","display_name":"scientific errors","score":0.7609999775886536},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/charles-darwin","display_name":"Charles Darwin","score":0.8809999823570251},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/lord-kelvin","display_name":"Lord Kelvin","score":0.7170000076293945},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/linus-pauling","display_name":"Linus Pauling","score":0.8759999871253967},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/fred-hoyle","display_name":"Fred Hoyle","score":0.9980000257492065},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/albert-einstein","display_name":"Albert Einstein","score":1.0},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/history-of-science","display_name":"history of science","score":0.8330000042915344},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/evolution","display_name":"evolution","score":0.4749999940395355},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/scientific-method","display_name":"scientific method","score":0.6639999747276306},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/cosmology","display_name":"cosmology","score":0.4339999854564667},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/origin-of-life","display_name":"origin of life","score":0.35600000619888306}],"concepts":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/C206118921","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5225921","display_name":"Darwin (ADL)","level":2,"score":0.7441500425338745},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C146846114","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q901448","display_name":"Einstein","level":2,"score":0.7424169778823853},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C84999194","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1","display_name":"Universe","level":2,"score":0.5262393355369568},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C33332235","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q18362","display_name":"Theoretical physics","level":1,"score":0.4084945023059845},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C111472728","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q9471","display_name":"Epistemology","level":1,"score":0.38681095838546753},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C1276947","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q333","display_name":"Astronomy","level":1,"score":0.3738865554332733},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C138885662","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5891","display_name":"Philosophy","level":0,"score":0.3716903626918793},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C121332964","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q413","display_name":"Physics","level":0,"score":0.30711930990219116},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C41008148","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q21198","display_name":"Computer science","level":0,"score":0.12646803259849548},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C74650414","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q11397","display_name":"Classical mechanics","level":1,"score":0.07369133830070496},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C115903868","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q80993","display_name":"Software engineering","level":1,"score":0.0}],"mesh":[],"locations_count":1,"locations":[{"id":"doi:10.5860/choice.51-1458","doi":"https://doi.org/10.5860/choice.51-1458","is_oa":false,"landing_page_url":"https://doi.org/10.5860/choice.51-1458","pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S2764375719","display_name":"Choice Reviews Online","issn_l":"0009-4978","issn":["0009-4978","1523-8253","1943-5975"],"is_oa":false,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":true,"listed_in":["cwts-core"],"host_organization":"https://openalex.org/P4310316146","host_organization_name":"Association of College and Research Libraries","host_organization_lineage":["https://openalex.org/P4310316146","https://openalex.org/P4310315903"],"host_organization_lineage_names":["Association of College and Research Libraries","American Library Association"],"type":"journal"},"license":null,"license_id":null,"version":"publishedVersion","is_accepted":true,"is_published":true,"raw_source_name":"Choice Reviews Online","raw_type":"journal-article"}],"best_oa_location":null,"sustainable_development_goals":[],"study_designs":[],"awards":[],"funders":[],"has_content":{"pdf":false,"grobid_xml":false},"content_urls":null,"referenced_works_count":0,"referenced_works":[],"related_works":["https://openalex.org/W2567667896","https://openalex.org/W2322195630","https://openalex.org/W4247490295","https://openalex.org/W4404265974","https://openalex.org/W2588076520","https://openalex.org/W2216569266","https://openalex.org/W4241300660","https://openalex.org/W1806688481","https://openalex.org/W2797270689","https://openalex.org/W2972710473"],"abstract_inverted_index":{"We":[0],"all":[1],"make":[2],"mistakes.":[3],"Nobody":[4],"is":[5,107],"perfect.":[6],"And":[7],"that":[8,33,153],"includes":[9],"five":[10,63],"of":[11,76,81,110,113,129,146],"the":[12,31,82,111,118,120,127,135,144,151],"greatest":[13],"scientists":[14,36,64,148],"in":[15,47,134],"history":[16],"--":[17,143],"Charles":[18],"Darwin,":[19],"William":[20],"Thomson":[21],"(Lord":[22],"Kelvin),":[23],"Linus":[24],"Pauling,":[25],"Fred":[26],"Hoyle,":[27],"Albert":[28],"Einstein.":[29],"But":[30],"mistakes":[32,145],"these":[34,114],"great":[35,66,147],"made":[37,154],"helped":[38],"science":[39,51],"to":[40,90,105],"advance.":[41],"Indeed,":[42],"as":[43],"Mario":[44],"Livio":[45,85],"explains":[46],"this":[48],"fascinating":[49,69],"book,":[50],"thrives":[52],"on":[53,131],"error;":[54],"it":[55],"advances":[56],"when":[57],"erroneous":[58],"ideas":[59],"are":[60],"disproven.":[61],"All":[62],"were":[65,74,94],"geniuses":[67],"and":[68,79,96,133],"human":[70],"beings.":[71],"Their":[72],"blunders":[73],"part":[75,80],"their":[77,88],"genius":[78],"scientific":[83],"process.":[84],"brilliantly":[86],"analyses":[87],"errors":[89],"show":[91],"where":[92],"they":[93],"wrong":[95],"right,":[97],"but":[98,137],"what":[99],"makes":[100],"his":[101],"book":[102],"so":[103],"enjoyable":[104],"read":[106],"Livio's":[108],"analysis":[109],"psychology":[112],"towering":[115],"figures.":[116],"Along":[117],"way":[119],"reader":[121],"learns":[122],"an":[123,139],"enormous":[124],"amount":[125],"about":[126],"evolution":[128],"life":[130],"earth":[132],"universe,":[136],"from":[138],"unusual":[140],"vantage":[141],"point":[142],"rather":[149],"than":[150],"achievements":[152],"them":[155],"famous.":[156]},"counts_by_year":[{"year":2025,"cited_by_count":1},{"year":2024,"cited_by_count":2},{"year":2023,"cited_by_count":5},{"year":2022,"cited_by_count":6},{"year":2021,"cited_by_count":7},{"year":2020,"cited_by_count":78},{"year":2019,"cited_by_count":3},{"year":2018,"cited_by_count":6},{"year":2017,"cited_by_count":3},{"year":2016,"cited_by_count":5},{"year":2015,"cited_by_count":4},{"year":2014,"cited_by_count":22},{"year":2013,"cited_by_count":1}],"updated_date":"2026-11-03T10:50:19.383937","created_date":"2016-06-24T00:00:00"}