User:Spinningspark/Work in progress/Beer in science

Beer has played a role in the development and discoveries of science from the very earliest days. Often a poor relation that is never mentioned, nevertheless the influence of beer has been enormous.

Pre-history

Without any doubt, the greatest scientific invention of all time, even greater than the invention of fire, in terms of the influence it has had on subsequent history, has been the invention of agriculture. With this technology, human wealth, and our ability to store it for future use, has grown enormously. Early civilizations were built upon the wealth created by agriculture and modern civilization is still largely fed by it.

The name of the inventor of this extraordinary technology has not come down to us. Nor is it now possible to ask him for his reasons for wanting to grow grain. However, there is some evidence that the purpose of growing grain was not, as might be supposed, for making bread, but may have been instead for the purpose of brewing beer. If true, the whole of the modern world owes it existence to the pursuit of this pleasurable pastime.

Unprocessed notes

This proto article inspired by the following from the Science reference desk

<snip>

• If you like autobiographical accounts, James Watson's story of the discovery of DNA in The Double Helix is very readable...

. . . .

I second the Double Helix suggestion, as it shows how vital beer is to the scientific enterprise... --Sean 16:09, 9 February 2008 (UTC)

</snip>

There are two mentions of beer in Watson's book. One apparently was obtaining some virus from a previously unwilling scientist, now drinking and feeling sorry for himself, the other was a discussion over a beer between Crick and other scientists (theoretical chemist John Griffith and cosmologist Tommy Gold). We need someone who owns this book to understand the significance of these conversations, there is not enough information in snippet view. "They talked to some people in a pub..." would probably not survive an AfD for notability.

The pub in question where Crick conducted much of the discussion is apparently The Eagle in Cambridge according to Rev. Angela Tilby on Radio 4's Thought for the Dayon 2nd September. Apparently, St Bene't's Church where she is vicar is opposite and she was complaining about the competition.

I read somewhere that Faraday (think it was Faraday - could be wrong) after long hours of practical experimentation, spent his evenings in the pub writing up his notes and correspondence.

Also, there is a theory that humans moved from hunter-gatherers to farming, not, as one might suppose in order to grow food, but in order to grow cereals to make beer. Hence (blatant OR, I know) drinking beer created civilisation. It is ironic that many beer drinkers (lager lout variety) now seem to be intent on trying to destroy civilisation.

Now if only I had some references for any of this, we might have the beginnings of an article.

Demonstration of the exponential decay law using beer froth [1] Better pdf copy [2]

• Just noticed that that got the 2002 Ig Nobel Prize for physics!

Glaser, bubble chamber. Niels Bohr, connection with Carlsberg (yes but did he drink any of it!) George Gamow's book

Beer related technology is still viewed as being of great importance in the public mind. The widget, a device for creating a head on canned beer when poured, was voted the greatest invention of the past 40 years in a Daily Mirror survey in 2003. The widget, at 48%, was substantially ahead of its nearest rival, the internet, at 13%.