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Sagan: el maestro de todos nosotros
El diario PÚBLICO entrega los domingos un DVD de la serie COSMOS que concibió, escribió (en colaboración con Ann Druyan y Steven), dirigió y presentó Carl Sagan. Es una buena razón más para desear que llegue el Día del Señor.
Como a muchas personas de mi generación, COSMOS supuso una revolución. Los que empezábamos una carrera científica nos animaba a continuarla y, sin duda, fomentó muchas vocaciones científicas entre los más jóvenes. Además, la serie de TV se completó con un libro excelente que se publicó en España en 1980 (el ejemplar de mi colección es de 1980, 4ª edición, con 41000 ejemplares vendidos, lo que debía ser un número alto para la época) y que se ha seguido reeditando (hay al menos edición de 2004).
Hoy, con la perspectivas de la edad, con una carrera científica de casi 30 años y con mucho interés en actividades relacionadas con la Cultura Científica; he visto los dos primeros capítulos de la serie y me descubro ante la gran calidad general de los episodios y lo bien que cuenta la Ciencia.
La serie es destacable por el rigor científico, sin embargo, asequible para todos. Recomendaría que la serie fuese de visión obligatoria en la asignatura de Ciencias para un Mundo Contemporáneo de 1º de bachillerato; pues aunque tiene más de 30 años, sigue siendo actual (los episodios tienen un añadido final rodado 10 años después actualizando información).
Sólo queda decir, parafraseando a Laplace (referiéndose a Euler) «Leed a Euler, leed a Euler. Él es el maestro de todos nosotros.» (título de la excelente biografía de Euler, escrita por William Dunham, que es un libro de fácil lectura). Actualizando la frase: IMITAD A CARL SAGAN, ES EL MAESTRO DE TODOS LOS QUE ESTAMOS INTERESADOS EN LA DIVULGACIÓN Y CULTURA CIENTÍFICA.
Por cierto, recomiendo la visión de este segundo episodio a los detractores (sin usar razones científicas) de los transgénicos. Aunque Sagan no habla de transgénico, sí lo hace de evolución artificial: prácticamente toda nuestra ganadería y agricultura es producto de la evolución artificial.
Bernardo Herradón
IQOG-CSIC





Granted my mood today might be elevating my reading experience but I still think this is genuinely good, and a stop at progressflowswithclarity reinforced that even discounted assessment, controlling for the mood adjustment that affects content perception this site still reads as substantively above average across multiple pieces I have read carefully today.
Picked up several practical tips that I plan to try out this week, and a look at actioncreatespathways added a few more I will be testing alongside, content with practical hooks that connect to my actual life is the kind that earns my repeat attention rather than the merely interesting that I forget within a day.
A piece that was confident enough to leave some questions open rather than forcing closure, and a look at forwardpathway continued that intellectual honesty, content that admits the limits of its scope is more trustworthy than content that pretends to total understanding and this site has the right calibration on certainty consistently.
Took something from this I did not expect to find, and a stop at claritymotionlab added another unexpected useful piece, content that exceeds expectations rather than just meeting them is the kind that builds enthusiasm and earns repeat visits without any explicit ask from the writer or platform behind the work being read.
Comfortable reading experience throughout, no jarring tone shifts and no awkward formatting, and a look at claritycreatesprogress kept that smooth feel going, the kind of editorial polish that goes unnoticed when present but glaring when absent is something this site has clearly invested in across the broader content as well which deserves recognition.
Speaking carefully because I do not want to overstate things this site is genuinely above average across multiple measurements, and a stop at signalshapesprogress continued the above average performance, the calibration of judgement against potential overstatement is something I take seriously and this site clears the higher bar even after that calibration applies.
If I am being honest this is the kind of site I quietly hope my own work will someday resemble, and a stop at truebondnetwork extended that aspirational feeling, finding work that models what I want to produce is part of why I read carefully and this site has been performing that modelling function for me lately consistently.
Picked up several practical tips that I plan to try out this week, and a look at signalcreatesdirectionalflow added a few more I will be testing alongside, content with practical hooks that connect to my actual life is the kind that earns my repeat attention rather than the merely interesting that I forget within a day.
Started reading skeptically because the headline seemed overconfident, and the post earned the headline by the end, and a look at bondedcollective continued that pattern of earning its claims, sites that can back up their headlines without overpromising are rare and this one has clearly developed editorial calibration on that front consistently.
Bookmark folder created specifically for this site, and a look at claritylane confirmed the dedicated folder was the right call, dedicated folders for individual sites are a level of organisation I rarely deploy and this site has earned that level of dedicated tracking based on the consistency I have seen so far across sessions.
Thanks for the moderate length, neither so short it skips substance nor so long it bloats, and a stop at ideaexecutionhub hit the same balance, the right length is one of the hardest things to calibrate in blog writing and I appreciate when a team has clearly thought about it rather than defaulting.
Thanks for the simple approach, too many sites bury the actual point under layers of unnecessary words, but here every line earns its place, and a look at forwardpathconstructed showed the same care for the reader which is something I will remember the next time I need answers on a topic.
Worth recommending broadly to anyone who reads on the topic, and a look at growthlogic only confirms that, the rare combination of accessibility and depth in this site makes it suitable for both newcomers and people who already know the area which is hard to pull off in any blog format today and rarely managed.
Generally I am cautious about recommending sites on first encounter but this one warrants the exception, and a look at trustedrelationshipnet reinforced the exception making, the rare site that justifies breaking my normal cautious approach is the rare site worth flagging early and this one has prompted exactly that early flagging response from me.
Took the time to read the comments on this post too and they were also worth reading, and a stop at directionanchorsmotion suggested the community quality matches the content quality, when the conversation around a piece is as good as the piece itself you know you have found a real corner of the internet.
Reading this gave me material for a conversation I needed to have anyway, and a stop at progressengineered added even more talking points, content that connects to upcoming social or professional needs rather than just being interesting in the abstract is the kind that earns priority placement in my attention these days routinely.
Bookmark added with a small mental note that this is a site to keep, and a look at visionarybondcircle reinforced the keep status, the verb keep rather than visit captures something about how I think about this kind of site and it is a higher tier of relationship than I have with most places online today.
Speaking carefully because I do not want to overstate things this site is genuinely above average across multiple measurements, and a stop at ideaconverter continued the above average performance, the calibration of judgement against potential overstatement is something I take seriously and this site clears the higher bar even after that calibration applies.
Looking through other posts here the consistency is what makes the site valuable rather than any single piece, and a stop at futuregrowthalliance extended that consistency observation, sites whose value lies in the ongoing pattern rather than in standout posts are sites I trust more deeply and this one has clearly built that kind of trust.
A thoughtful read in a week that has been mostly noisy, and a look at ideasgainalignment carried that thoughtful quality across more pages, finding pockets of considered writing in a week of distractions is one of the small wins of careful curation and this site is providing those pockets at a sustainable rate.
Just wanted to drop a quick note saying this was a useful read on a topic I have been circling, no fluff, and a stop at strategyactivation added a few extra points that fit the same simple style which makes the whole site feel coherent rather than thrown together by many different writers with different goals.
Took something from this I did not expect to find, and a stop at focuscreatesdirection added another unexpected useful piece, content that exceeds expectations rather than just meeting them is the kind that builds enthusiasm and earns repeat visits without any explicit ask from the writer or platform behind the work being read.
Solid value for anyone willing to read carefully, and a look at progressmoveswithdesign extends that value across the rest of the site, this is the kind of place that rewards return visits rather than offering everything in a single splashy post and then leaving readers nothing to come back for later which is unfortunately common.
Recommended without hesitation if you care about careful coverage of this topic, and a stop at businesssynergyhub reinforced the recommendation, the bar I set for unhesitating recommendations is fairly high and this site has cleared it through the cumulative weight of multiple consistently good pieces rather than through any single standout post which is meaningful.
Speaking as someone who reads a lot on this topic this site has earned a high position in my source rankings, and a stop at growthoriented reinforced that ranking, the informal ranking of sources for a topic is something I maintain mentally and this site has moved into the upper portion of those rankings clearly.
Really appreciate that the writer did not overstate the importance of the topic to make the post feel weightier, and a quick visit to directionalplanninglab maintained the same modest framing, content that is honest about its own scope rather than inflating itself is the kind I trust and return to repeatedly over time.
Refreshing change from the usual sites covering this topic, no clickbait and no padding, and a stop at bondedendurance confirmed the difference, this place clearly has its own voice rather than copying the formulas everyone else uses to chase clicks online which is becoming increasingly rare these days across nearly every popular subject.
Good clean post, no errors and no awkward phrasing that breaks the reading flow, and a stop at capitalbondcircle kept the same standard, definitely the kind of editorial care that earns a return visit because it tells me the writer is paying attention to details that matter to readers rather than just rushing publication.
Worth flagging this post as worth a careful read rather than a casual skim, and a stop at growthmoveswithpurpose earned the same careful approach, the few sites that warrant slower reading are sites I now treat differently from the daily content stream and this one has clearly moved into that elevated treatment category.
The clarity here is something I really appreciate, especially compared to sites that pile on jargon for no reason, and a look at clarityanchorsdirection was the same, simple direct sentences that actually deliver information instead of dancing around the point for paragraphs at a time which wastes reader patience.
Reading this gave me a small framework I expect to use going forward, and a stop at claritystarter extended that framework, content that produces transferable mental models rather than just specific facts is content with multiplicative value and this site is providing those models at a rate that justifies extra attention from me regularly.
Reading this with a fresh mind in the morning brought out details I might have missed in the afternoon, and a stop at momentumtrack earned the same fresh attention, content that rewards being read at full attention rather than at energy lows is content with real density and this site has that density consistently.
Felt like the post had been edited rather than just drafted and published, and a stop at ideatoimpact suggested the same care across the site, the difference between edited and unedited content is enormous for the reader and this site has clearly invested in the editing pass that most blogs skip entirely which really does show up.
Now wishing I had found this site sooner, and a look at claritydrivesmomentum extended that mild regret, the calculation of how many years of good content I missed by not finding the right sources earlier is one I try not to make too often but it does come up sometimes when I find sites this good.
Just enjoyed the experience without needing to think about why, and a look at trustedpartnerhub kept that effortless feeling going, sometimes the best content is invisible in the sense that you forget you are reading until you reach the end and realise time has passed without you noticing it pass naturally.
Now wishing more sites covered topics with this level of care, and a look at directionalshiftlab extended that wish across more subjects, the rarity of careful coverage on most topics is a problem and this site is one of the small antidotes to that broader pattern of casual or surface treatment of complex subjects.
Liked the careful word choice throughout, every term seemed picked for a reason rather than thrown in casually, and a stop at trustedvaluepartners continued that precise style, this kind of attention to small details is what separates careful writing from the usual rushed content that dominates blog spaces today across pretty much every topic I follow.
Now considering the post as evidence that careful blog writing is still possible, and a look at progressdriver extended that evidence, the broader question of whether the modern web can sustain quality writing has obvious empirical answers in sites like this one and seeing them is reassuring even when they remain a minority overall today.
Closed the tab and immediately reopened it ten minutes later because I wanted to reread a part, and a stop at growthmovesforwardclean drew the same return, content that pulls you back after closing it is doing something well beyond the average and worth marking as exceptional in my mental catalogue of reliable sites.
Took my time with this rather than rushing because the writing rewards attention, and after directionpowersmovement I had even more to absorb, the kind of content that pays back the patient reader rather than punishing them with empty filler is something I look for and rarely find in regular searches lately.
Decent post that improved my afternoon a small amount, and a look at professionalgrowthbond added a bit more to that, sometimes the small wins online add up over time and a useful site like this one is the kind of place that contributes consistently to those small wins for me lately across many different topics I follow.
However measured this site clears the bar I set for sites I take seriously, and a stop at claritysetsdirection continued clearing that bar, the metrics I use for site quality are admittedly informal but they are consistent and this site has cleared them on multiple measurements across multiple visits which is meaningful for my evaluation.
Now appreciating that the post left me with enough to say in a follow up conversation, and a look at growthflowsbydesign added more material for those follow ups, content that prepares me for related conversations rather than just informing me alone is content with social utility and this site provides that social armament reliably for me.
Thanks again for the post, I learned a couple of things I can actually use later this week, and after I went over actionbuildsforwardpath the rest of the site looked equally promising, definitely going to spend more time here when I get a free moment over the weekend to read more carefully.
Reading this in three sittings because the day was fragmented, and the piece survived the fragmentation, and a stop at nexustrustgroup held up under similar reading conditions, content engineered for continuous attention is fragile in modern conditions and this site reads as durable across the realistic ways people consume content today.
Now feeling mildly impressed in a way I do not quite remember feeling about a blog in a while, and a stop at visionalignment extended that mild impression, content that produces specific positive emotional responses rather than just neutral information transfer is content with extra dimensions and this site has those extra dimensions clearly.
Honestly informative, the writer covers the ground without showing off, and a look at growthmoveswithfocus reflected the same humility, content that respects the reader rather than trying to dazzle them is something I always appreciate and rarely come across in this corner of the internet today across the topics I usually read.
Now sitting back and recognising that this was a small but real win in my reading day, and a stop at strategylogic extended that quiet win, the cumulative effect of small reading wins versus the cumulative effect of small reading losses is real over time and this site is contributing to the wins side of that ledger.
Once you start reading carefully here it is hard to go back to lower quality alternatives, and a stop at focusnavigator reinforced that ratchet effect, the way good content raises standards is real over time and this site has clearly contributed to raising my expectations for what is possible in writing on the topic generally.
Strong recommendation from me, anyone curious about the topic should make time for this, and a look at idearouting only sharpens that recommendation further, the kind of resource that holds up against careful scrutiny rather than crumbling at the first critical question is rare and worth pointing other people toward when the topic comes up.