The Existential Joy of Nuclear Spin

Nuclear spin, as probed by magnetic resonance, has now been associated with a Nobel Prize in Physics, two in Chemistry, and another in Physiology and Medicine. NMR in particular is the premier probe of chemical structure, and many reviews of the subject focus on chemical and structural biology. I would like to take a slightly different approach and illustrate the richness of nuclear spin by juxtaposing great works of antiquity with current applications of magnetic resonance in material and engineering science. With apologies to those you whose works are more elegant, I will (mostly) choose applications from my own lab so that you can hold me accountable for the content of this lecture.