• Question: What is your favourite part of science and why?

    Asked by anon-200279 to Rosemary, Oliver, Leigh, Jordan, Hannah on 6 Mar 2019. This question was also asked by anon-200474.
    • Photo: Oliver Gordon

      Oliver Gordon answered on 6 Mar 2019:

      Seeing your stuff WORK.
      .
      People (understandably) have the idea that science is going “hmm, I have an idea. I’m going to do A and B and test this. Now I’m going to write a scientific report. Now I go straight back to the start having already come up with a new idea”.
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      But in reality, the scientific process is “hmm, that’s odd. Oh wait, not it’s not (go back to the start). Or maybe it is? Let’s ask this person. They said they tried it already (go back to the start). They don’t know, and have said somebody else. Hmm, well, that discussion raises more questions. Let’s go and read some other scientific reports. Oh wait, somebody else did this 50 years ago. (go back to the start). Oh wait, the technology to investigate this doesn’t exist yet (go back to the start). Ok, I think I know how I can investigate this. Oh wait, this didn’t work, and the first thing was a fluke (go back to the start). Wait, stop everything, THESE RESULTS ARE AMAZING! Oh no, wait, no they’re not (go back to the start). Ok, that’s something – let’s come up with some more tests. (Repeat this bit for about 2 months). Ok, let’s write this report! Oh wait, we set it up wrong (go back to the start). Ok, somebody has already done it now (go back to the start). Ok, the annoying political bit of science has now taken hold, and it’s now going to take too long to get this information published (go back to the start). OH YES, IT’S PUBLISHED! SUCCESS!”
      .
      And that bit of success at the end, after all that hardship, is so, so, so, rewarding. You’ve climbed to the edge of the mountain of literally all human knowledge, have done something that your peers have decided is worthy. You can go to bed knowing that hopefully somebody will see that, build on it, and that part of the positive developments of humanity is because of you and your “legacy” that can now never be taken away. It’s not about being particularly smart – it’s about persevering to achieve your goal.
      .
      That’s why we get up in the morning, and why I’m always excited to go to work.

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