Philip Abelson
Physicist, editor and writer
Died when: 91 years 96 days (1095 months)Star Sign: Taurus
Philip Hauge Abelson (April 27, 1913 – August 1, 2004) was an American physicist, scientific editor and science writer. Trained as a nuclear physicist, he co-discovered the element neptunium, worked on isotope separation in the Manhattan Project, and wrote the first study of nuclear marine propulsion for submarines.
He later worked on a broad range of scientific topics and related public policy, including organic geochemistry, paleobiology and energy policy.
Abelson served as editor-in-chief of the journal Science from 1962–84, president of the Carnegie Institution of Washington from 1971–78, and president of the American Geophysical Union from 1972-74.
His frequent editorials in Science, both during and after his term as editor, became known for their strident and thought-provoking views.
A collection of 100 of his editorials was published as a book, entitled Enough of Pessimism. He may have been the original source of the phrase 'extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence'.