nodalpoint.org - Intuition - Comments

Life in science

Neil — Wed, 08 Mar 2006 03:39:25 -0500

I've always thought that the lives of working scientists could make great material for a novel or film. Not in the sci-fi tradition, but with the focus on the people - their lives, feelings, problems. Yes, scientists have personal lives too! This is often forgotten, I think.

Anyone recommend a novel or movie that they feel comes close to an accurate portrayal of the "tortured complex scientist"? Curiously, one of my favourites is a cult B-movie titled "Darkman", about a guy who invents artificial skin.

The slow pace of our own work

PedroBeltrao — Mon, 06 Mar 2006 05:39:44 -0500

Probably most of us have talked about this with friends and colleagues. One of the most frustrating things about working in science is how slow our own work moves. Specially when compared to the pace of science as seen in the journals every week. This is for me one of the big challenges, to keep interested with the work that I am doing even if moves along so slowly. It is so much easier to just start something new after getting all excited with something we just saw somewhere recently. This is specially true for me when trying to finish a project, to continue working after the initial effort to establish if the idea has potential or not.

Intuition

Greg — Mon, 06 Mar 2006 00:28:54 -0500

It is not easy being a scientist. There are the four-plus years of struggle getting your PhD only to find yourself on the postdoc treadmill dealing with lab politics, grants, PIs and the distinct possibility that your current project might end up being a total waste of time. This postdoc limbo is valuable time, that if not spent productively leads to less papers and less career opportunities. And the whole time the only people that will ever appreciate your situation are your fellow scientific competitors. Well that may be about to change with the publication of Allegra Goodman's new novel Intuition. I came across this novel via the Nature Genetics Free Association blog. Read on for a mini review of the first three chapters.