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How are things discovered?

Vaishnavi_1211
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A Fool's Guide on learning how scientists discover things :)

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wait_what_tho

so does Fleming's discovery count if he wasn't even looking? like, is it curiosity if the discovery finds you?

so does Fleming's discovery count if he wasn't even looking? like, is it curiosity if the discovery finds you?

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Have you ever wondered how DO scientists actually invent / discover things?
Like, what led them to their revolutionary discoveries? From ice-cream to discovering alternate galaxies, all these discoveries had their own stories behind them. Let's dive right in!
All Scientists, usually conduct experiments on various topics they choose to research upon. For example, a biologist may research algae, animal cells, or conduct experiments on different climates for growth of organisms. A famous scientist, Alexander Flemming, once went on a vacation, forgetting that a petri dish in his lab was uncontained. Upon returning, he observed this particular microorganism had grown into a mold on a Staphylococcus bacteria dish, & had managed to kill it! He was amazed by this and started researching it. Today, his research has helped us develop antibiotics! If you couldn't guess till now, it was the discovery of Pencillium or Penciliin, becoming a boon to mankind.
Now let's look at another field - Physics. Most students hate this scientist because he is the father of classical physics ( or the father of classical mechanics). The one who saw an apple and invented so many complex and mind blowing theories. Yes, if you thought about Issac Newton you'd be accurate! Issac Newton has explained so many aspects of modern sciences, it is actually quite shocking he found out about these things in his time. Universal Gravitation, Three Laws Of Motion, Law of cooling, calculus, Binomial Theorem, Spectrum of light, Particle theory of light are just a fraction of subject matter he had formulated. What a person! You'd be surprised to know how he came up with these theories. Lets take his famous laws of motion. During his free time during the plague, he used to imagine scenarios - what would happen if a cannonball was fired horizontally? The faster it is fired, the farther it goes before hitting the ground. What if it was fired fast enough to orbit Earth? All these questions were jotted down and researched upon by him. These scenarios laid the foundation base of his laws of motion.
What have you noticed common between these 2 scientists?
I believe it is their curious nature regarding things. Their forgetfulness. Their willingness to ask "Why?" instead of ignoring it like others.
These are what make them different. The ability to question anything and everything.
Hence, there isn't a particular, straightforward answer to the scientists' discoveries. So to conclude, my dear reader, being curious IS the key to accomplishing great things in life. Who knows, maybe one day, you too might show light upon something you were keen on learning, "Why?" :)
Till next time,
Vaishnavi Sharma.

Thoughts

  • same_energy_lol

    ok but the whole forgetting and then noticing is such a mood. i relate to discovering things i forgot i even started

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  • quick_gut_check

    Was it the mold or the decision to look? How much of it is accident vs. actually wondering why?

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  • wait_what_tho

    so does Fleming's discovery count if he wasn't even looking? like, is it curiosity if the discovery finds you?

    Permalink

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