Individual curiosity, often working without practical ends in mind, has always been a driving force for innovation.

Individual curiosity, often working without practical ends in mind, has always been a driving force for innovation.

Essentially all civilizations that rose to the level of possessing an urban culture had need for two forms of science-related technology, namely, mathematics for land measurements and commerce and astronomy for time-keeping in agriculture and aspects of religious rituals.

But more than 15 sections in Chapter 8 of the report-the key chapter setting out the scientific evidence for and against a human influence over the climate-were changed or deleted after the scientist charged with examining this question had accepted the supposedly final text.

Things that people learn purely out of curiosity can have a revolutionary effect on human affairs.

Research data on climate change do not show that human use of hydrocarbons is harmful. To the contrary, there is good evidence that increased atmospheric carbon dioxide is environmentally helpful.

It is one thing to impose drastic measures and harsh economic penalties when an environmental problem is clear-cut and severe...