Unless allowed by Mahidol

University, the User shall not

copy, modify, or exploit in part
or in whole of the copyrighted
materials on the Platform,
other than for your own
individual study. The copy,
modify or communication to
public of the copyrighted
materials shall be inflicted with
a fine from 20,000 Baht up to
200,000 Baht. If the offence is
committed with the
commercial purpose, the
offender shall be inflicted with
imprisonment for a term from 6
months up to 4 years or a fine
from 100,000 Baht up to
800,000 Baht or both
imprisonment and fine.
Class 10.1

Life Cycle of Knowledge

Life Cycle of Knowledge

Half Life of Knowledge

 Half-life of Facts

• Facts change
• True facts can become false facts
over time

Arbesman, S. (2012). The Half-Life of Facts: Why Everything We Know Has an

Expiration Date. New York, NY, USA: Penguin Group.
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromosome_segregation#/media/File:Meiosis_diagram.jpg
Half-life of Facts

Number of human chromosomes

• Measuring
chromosomes

Martin, A. (2004). Can't any body count? Counting as an epistemic theme in the
history of human chromosomes. Social Studies of Science, 34(6), 923-948.
 Half-life of Facts

What is a chromosome
• Thread-like structure made of protein and

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromosome
DNA. It ensures DNA is accurately copied to
new cells

Chromosome Facts Sheet. (2015). Washington, DC, USA: National Human Genome
Research Institute.
 Half-life of Facts

Number of human chromosomes

• 1882
– Between 20 and 28
• Flemming
• 1912
– Around 24
• Flemming, Bardeleben, Duesber, Wieman, Montgomery, Guyer and others
trying to count
• 1912
– 47 for men, 48 in women
• De Winiwarter
• Tested fresh dead tissue
Martin, A. (2004). Can't any body count? Counting as an epistemic theme in the
history of human chromosomes. Social Studies of Science, 34(6), 923-948.
 Half-life of Facts

Number of human chromosomes

• 1925
– 48 for both genders
• Painter
• Said Winiwarter missed the Y chromosome
– “…chromosome number of 48 can therefore be
considered as an established fact”
• (Sachs, L. 1953-1954: 256)

Martin, A. (2004). Can't any body count? Counting as an epistemic theme in the
history of human chromosomes. Social Studies of Science, 34(6), 923-948.
Martin, A. (2004). Can't any body count? Counting as an epistemic theme in the
history of human chromosomes. Social Studies of Science, 34(6), 923-948.
 Half-life of Facts

Number of human chromosomes

• Race to count chromosomes for
many species
– 1949
• Atlas of the Chromosome Numbers in
Animals
• 3,317
Martin, A. (2004). Can't any body count? Counting as an epistemic theme in the
history of human chromosomes. Social Studies of Science, 34(6), 923-948.
 Half-life of Facts

Number of human chromosomes

• 1920s
– Humans had 48
• Chimpanzees, apes also have 48 chromosomes

Martin, A. (2004). Can't any body count? Counting as an epistemic theme in the
history of human chromosomes. Social Studies of Science, 34(6), 923-948.
 Half-life of Facts

Number of chromosomes
• 1956
– 46
– Tijo & Levan

Martin, A. (2004). Can't any body count? Counting as an epistemic theme in the
history of human chromosomes. Social Studies of Science, 34(6), 923-948.
 Half-life of Facts

Number of chromosomes
• Why did the number of human
chromosomes change from 48 to 46?
• Will humans always have 46
chromosomes?

Martin, A. (2004). Can't any body count? Counting as an epistemic theme in the
history of human chromosomes. Social Studies of Science, 34(6), 923-948.
 Half-life of Facts

P53
• 1979 discovered
– Chromosome 17
• 1984 First thought to cause cancer
– Oncogenes
• P 53 somehow P 53 was involved with cancer cells
• P 53 can make cells immortal
• P 53 overproduced proteins

Armstrong, S. (2014). p53: The Gene that Cracked the Cancer Code: Bloomsbury
Sigma.
 Half-life of Facts

P53
• 1989 P 53 is a
tumor suppressor

Armstrong, S. (2014). p53: The Gene that Cracked the Cancer Code: Bloomsbury
Sigma.
 Half-life of Facts

Where is the planet Vulcan?

• Prediction this was because there existed
another planet
– Wobble in Mercury

Levenson, T. (2015). The Hunt for Vulcan: . . . And How Albert Einstein Destroyed a
Planet, Discovered Relativity, and Deciphered the Universe. New York, NY, USA:
Random House.
 Half-life of Facts

Where is the planet Vulcan?

• Neptune mathematically predicted
– Erratic change in Uranus’ orbit
• Bouvard predicted Neptune existed
– Discovered 1846

Levenson, T. (2015). The Hunt for Vulcan: . . . And How Albert Einstein Destroyed a
Planet, Discovered Relativity, and Deciphered the Universe. New York, NY, USA:
Random House.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discovery_of_Neptune
 Half-life of Facts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=182&v=hSXNE0pNtr8
Where is the planet Vulcan?

Levenson, T. (2015). The Hunt for Vulcan: . . . And How Albert Einstein Destroyed a
Planet, Discovered Relativity, and Deciphered the Universe. New York, NY, USA:
Random House.
 Half-life of Facts

And Pluto?

1930: Was a planet

2006: Not a planet

 Half-life of Facts

There may be another 9th planet

 Half-life of Facts

Eight or nine planets?

Half-life of Facts
 Half-life of Facts

Batygin and Brown inferred its

presence from the peculiar clustering
of six previously known objects that
orbit beyond Neptune. They say
there’s only a 0.007% chance, or
about one in 15,000, that the
clustering could be a coincidence.
Half-life of Facts
Class 10.1

Life Cycle of Knowledge

 Unless allowed by Mahidol
University, the User shall not
copy, modify, or exploit in part
or in whole of the copyrighted
materials on the Platform,
other than for your own
individual study. The copy,
modify or communication to
public of the copyrighted
materials shall be inflicted with
a fine from 20,000 Baht up to
200,000 Baht. If the offence is
committed with the
commercial purpose, the
offender shall be inflicted with
imprisonment for a term from 6
months up to 4 years or a fine
from 100,000 Baht up to
800,000 Baht or both
imprisonment and fine.