Science is big on collaboration. With such a variety of knowledge and expertise it’s crucial to get advice from, and work alongside, people who are specialists in a particular area. But while that sounds great on paper, it’s surprisingly hard to achieve in practice. Collaborations are actually relationships in a real sense, and like real relationships, they’re very difficult to get right. In fact, many scientific collaborations bear more resemblance to an arranged marriage than a love match.
Fashions come and go, but one toy seems to outlast all trends – Lego. And enthralling as these coloured bricks are in their own terms, they also offer an instructive means of explaining* one of the most important principles in science – reductionism. Continue reading
Professor: You know, I never wanted to be a head of department.
Lab members appear, wearing white coats and carrying micropipettes. Continue reading
What’s the best portrayal of a scientist on TV? (Hint: it’s not who you think). Continue reading
Fake news has been getting a lot of airtime recently, particularly in the wake of the American presidential election. There’s been much hand-wringing about how best to deal with the phenomenon, but the likelihood is that academics already have the solution.
Charles Dickens’ Yuletide classic “A Christmas Carol” is all about how the curmudgeonly Scrooge learns to lighten up and let the festive spirit in. But what would it be like if Scrooge was a scientist? Continue reading
For a bunch of people who are supposed to be really smart, scientists spend a huge amount of time feeling really stupid. Partly it’s a Socratic thing – the more you learn, the more you realise how little you know – but it’s also because there are few professions more in thrall to the notion of genius. Continue reading
Scientists looking to improve their sterile technique would be wise to study the precepts of Japanese tea ceremony. Continue reading
Luck probably plays a larger part in science than most people are prepared to admit. In fact, its role (no pun intended) is probably as large as it is in the arts. Continue reading
Adversarial interactions in the sciences can be grouped into two categories: competition between models*, and competition between labs. One is a stimulant and a spur to good science; the other a recipe for rancour and often a handicap to scientific progress. Continue reading
