You should never bet against anything in science at odds of more than about 1012 to 1.
Meaning of the quote
You should never say something in science is impossible, unless the chances of it being true are less than about one in a trillion. This is because science is always discovering new things, and the impossible often becomes possible. Even things that seem very unlikely can sometimes turn out to be true.
About Ernest Rutherford
Ernest Rutherford was a pioneering New Zealand physicist who made groundbreaking discoveries in atomic and nuclear physics. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on the disintegration of elements and radioactive substances, and is known as the ‘father of nuclear physics’. Rutherford’s achievements include the discovery of radioactive half-life, the element radon, and the concept of the atom’s dense, charged nucleus.
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More quotes from Ernest Rutherford
Of all created comforts, God is the lender; you are the borrower, not the owner.
New Zealand physicist (1871-1937)
You should never bet against anything in science at odds of more than about 1012 to 1.
New Zealand physicist (1871-1937)
If your experiment needs statistics, you ought to have done a better experiment.
New Zealand physicist (1871-1937)
All science is either physics or stamp collecting.
New Zealand physicist (1871-1937)