But the future is unpredictable, our mistakes are correctable, and there is plenty of reason for optimism about what people can accomplish in the face of necessity.
Random, unpredictable DNA "mistakes" account for nearly two-thirds of the mutations in cancers.
In a new study examining cancer databases around the world, Johns Hopkins scientists in the Kimmel Cancer Center have discovered that random, unpredictable DNA copying "mistakes" account for nearly two-thirds of the mutations that cause cancer.
That evolution, like mine as a child, should be rife with mistakes, unpredictable twists and turns, all based on a normally developing brain.
They're unavoidable and unpredictable, and the worst mistake you can make is a knee-jerk reaction.
On Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that military action against Iran would be a "very serious mistake fraught with unpredictable consequences".
Human reliability, or more precisely human mistakes as a very complex and unpredictable parameter.
The most important lesson he drew from it was that mistakes and misunderstandings can unleash an unpredictable chain of events, causing governments to go to war with little understanding of the consequences.
Part of empowering others is creating an environment where they feel safe, not burdening them with an irascible and unpredictable boss who could react badly to any mistakes that they make.
But when families fight in an unpredictable way when conflict arises out of seemingly innocent mistakes or small disagreements kids suffer.
It would be a mistake to think of him as an impossible, unpredictable character.
