Latter-day Saints and Science
by Mark W. Cannon

Some Contributions of LDS Scientists
Illustrative contributions of LDS scientific and engineering excellence include the application of quantum mechanics to chemical reaction rate theories by the President's National Science Medal winner, Henry Eyring. Eyring's findings had universal application to chemical changes in scientific laboratories and industries.

LDS contributions led to the sound and sight of the modern world. These include the scanning technique that spawned television by Philo Farnsworth at Brigham Young University, whose statue is in the U.S. Capitol. Also, the development of the modern science of acoustics by Harvey Fletcher, the head of physical research at Bell Laboratories, led to such inventions as stereophonic sound. Dr. Fletcher later became Dean of Engineering and Physical Sciences at BYU. Smith Stevens at Harvard led in the development of psychoacoustics, the theory of hearing.

Other contributions of Mormon scientists include the development of psychopharmacology, including drugs to suppress epilepsy, by Ewart Swinyard and a colleague; the early development of computer sciences to a fine art in medical diagnosis, particularly for heart ailments, by Homer Warner; coal research including development directed toward the transformation of coal for liquid automobile fuel, by George Hill, and outstanding new methods for the beneficiation of minerals by Milton Wadsworth.

Other examples are the application of high pressure to chemistry and physics, including the first repeatable synthesis of diamonds by Tracy Hall at General Electric that built the artificial diamond industry, following which he became a dean at BYU; fundamental work in catalysis and contributions to the production of high octane gasoline and synthetic ammonia by Alex Oblad; theoretical contributions to explosives and the development of slurry blasting agents which have replaced dynamite by Melvin Cook; contributions to synthetic textiles by Emerson Tippetts, and instrumental work in developing artificial kidneys by Wayne Quinton.⁽²⁷⁾

James Fletcher was appointed twice to be Director of NASA (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration) by Presidents Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan. Scott Woodward was selected by the Egyptian government to study the DNA and lineage of Egyptian mummies. BYU Professor Alan Ashton created Word Perfect, a pioneer in word processing. BYU professors and students founded Novell. Four BYU music students invented LAN or Local Area Networking which spawned Novell becoming an international leader in networking software.

The National Academy of Science Committee on Toxicology, headed by Richard Thomas was praised by a Wall Street Journal editorial for avoiding ideology in environmental studies and for its "earned reputation for independence and quality research".⁽²⁸⁾ He is now President and CEO of The International Center for Environmental Technology.

E. Park Guyman developed a patented solvent extraction process that has the potential to convert American tar sands into billions of barrels of high grade asphalt and crude oil.

Anne Osborn Poelman is author of the definitive textbook in neuroradiology plus nine other textbooks. She lectures in China virtually every year. She chaired the neuroradiology course in Dalian co-sponsored by the Chinese Society of Radiology. She is one of only two radiologists who are honorary members of the Chinese Medical Association.

Some other medical accomplishments of University of Utah professors include Jim Parkin's pioneering of artificial ears through cochlear implants and John Dixon's pioneering of laser surgery. J. Edwin Seegmiller, professor of Human Genetics at University of California at San Diego, helped develop amniocentesis, to learn about the health of fetuses.

BYU microbiologist Kim L. O'Neill was granted a patent in 1997 and exclusive marketing rights for a monoclonal antibody that quickly, accurately and inexpensively detects cancer at early stages, by measuring Thymidine Kinase 1 (TK1). Through early detection, this breakthrough can minimize mortality particularly from breast cancer, currently second in cancer mortality among American women. He also published a study concluding that caffeine may prevent the death of cancer cells thereby permitting them to spread throughout the body.⁽²⁹⁾

Paul D. Boyer, BYU alumnus and professor emeritus at UCLA, with two others, received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry October, 1997 for discovery of enzymes that fuel energy production within the cell. Professor Boyer spoke at BYU May 4, 1998.

Continue reading this article... Part 3: Mormons Find Science and Religion are Compatible

Notes

27. While essentially all of these scientists have Ph.D.s, the term doctor was not used for them.

28. The Wall Street Journal, "Review and Outlook: Gulf War Syndrome" October 29, 1993, p A14.

29. Bryan S. Poe, Kim L. O'Neill, "Caffeine modulates heat shock induced apoptosis in the human promyelocytic leukemia cell line HL-60", Cancer Letters, 121 (1997) 1-6.

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