Kalo Asmi Loka-ksaya-krit Pravardho, Lokan Samartum iha Pravattah

Ever heard this before?

Kalo Asmi Loka-ksaya-krit Pravardho, Lokan Samartum iha Pravattah.

It's from the Hindu holy book and it translates as, "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds."

Do you know what famous person quoted it? Robert Oppenheimer, the scientific director of the Manhattan Project, the World War II project that developed the first nuclear weapons. He is sometimes referred to as the "father of the atomic bomb", but after hearing him quote, "Kalo Asmi Loka-ksaya-krit Pravardho, Lokan Samartum iha Pravattah," I'm not sure that he would be proud of this title.

...and finally I've started talking about the bomb.

When we give scientists the resources to build something destructive, even if it's a world first like the atomic bomb, we don't getting many people jumping in the air and cheering. Robert Oppenheimer's public actions and comments about the bomb are contradictory. Was it a good thing? Was it a necessary evil? Oppenheimer's public statements don't clearly tell us what he thought, but in the moment after the first artificial nuclear explosion nearAlamogordo on July 16, 1945, Oppenheimer's feelings were clear, "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds."

He also talked about how those around him felt on July 16, 1945. "We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried. Most people were silent." You can see Oppenheimer recall this day in a 1965 interview. There is no joy in this man's face. There is no joy in knowing that he oversaw a world first. In the interview it looks like he's scratching his eye, but I wonder if he's crying.

Contrast this with the real joy in Hans Keirstead's voice and face. He's so happy with his announcement that you can see he's trying hard not to shout for joy in front of the camera. Read about him and see the pure joy in his face.

So who is Hans Keirstead, what did he do, and why is he so happy? Find out on youtube (you can already guess that it has something to do with stem cells). After watching him make this announcement, it would be hard to imagine him "scratching his eye" in an interview 20 years later recalling this event. How will he remember this event in twenty years? He may even quote Oppenheimer himself, "We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried. Most people were silent." But he will stop there. He will not go on to call himself "the destroyer of worlds".

You can see the difference yourself. The difference between StemCells&AtomBombs. Two world firsts. Two completely different reactions from the men who made it possible.