Been reminded of another whose scientific studies were religiously impeded. The other day I saw an add for finding little squares on holiday, and remembered the Campo de Fiori in Rome with its statue fo Giordano Bruno. Didn't post it, as it didn't fit in the argument, but have been reminded again today with a BBC Radio 4 "From our own correspondent" piece on the same place and statue. He did not recant believing that the Earth went round the Sun, and that other stars were also suns, probably with their own planets and life, and wrote to the Pope from prison to say so. For which he was burned to death in the Campo de Fiori.

He also suggested the method of finding extraterrestrial planets by observing their passing in front of their stars. (Probably got the relative sizes wrong.)

Penny