Comments on: The Renaissance man: how to become a scientist over and over again http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2011/06/08/the-renaissance-man-how-to-become-a-scientist-over-and-over-again/ Mon, 26 Nov 2012 12:00:51 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: Erka http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2011/06/08/the-renaissance-man-how-to-become-a-scientist-over-and-over-again/#comment-11986 Erka Wed, 31 Aug 2011 16:01:11 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/?p=4682#comment-11986 Seriously? Did all that by himself, alone? How serious is this text, come on ! It a negation of what science is, especially there in such collaborative works!! Hi-C was never invented by Lieberman but by Dekker long ago in Kleckner lab, and several labs have done the same in parallel. Using Grosberg model was good but poorly implemented, obviously in a rush to make up stg sexy... It's really disturbing to see how a same superficial analysis applied to data generated by good labs can be that rewarding and allow someone to claim so much without questioning... Seriously? Did all that by himself, alone? How serious is this text, come on ! It a negation of what science is, especially there in such collaborative works!! Hi-C was never invented by Lieberman but by Dekker long ago in Kleckner lab, and several labs have done the same in parallel. Using Grosberg model was good but poorly implemented, obviously in a rush to make up stg sexy… It’s really disturbing to see how a same superficial analysis applied to data generated by good labs can be that rewarding and allow someone to claim so much without questioning…

]]> By: Matt B. http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2011/06/08/the-renaissance-man-how-to-become-a-scientist-over-and-over-again/#comment-11985 Matt B. Sun, 03 Jul 2011 00:19:36 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/?p=4682#comment-11985 I'm a polymath myself, and I have something that involves both math and linguistics, so it seems quite possible that no one else has thought of it yet. I'd love to publish it, but I only got a bachelor's degree in physics, which included no instruction on how to publish (or properly write) a scientific paper. I have other, single-discipline stuff in math, cartography (which is still just math, really), linguistics, politics and games, but I feel trapped in a cage of my own introversion and lack of resources. I’m a polymath myself, and I have something that involves both math and linguistics, so it seems quite possible that no one else has thought of it yet. I’d love to publish it, but I only got a bachelor’s degree in physics, which included no instruction on how to publish (or properly write) a scientific paper. I have other, single-discipline stuff in math, cartography (which is still just math, really), linguistics, politics and games, but I feel trapped in a cage of my own introversion and lack of resources.

]]> By: David Dobbs http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2011/06/08/the-renaissance-man-how-to-become-a-scientist-over-and-over-again/#comment-11984 David Dobbs Thu, 16 Jun 2011 09:41:52 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/?p=4682#comment-11984 Wonderful stuff, Ed: great choice of profile subjects and you wove this nicely. Aiden is obviously of extraordinary intellect and temperament, but his seemingly erratic, bounce-around, win-some-lose-some, capitalize-on-mistakes story is not truly an exception but a sort of condensation of how science so often works. The extremity of his example makes him seem the exception, but in a sense he proves a larger rule: That science is messy, and ideas lead to other ideas as often by elastic collision with failure as by smooth upward progression. All in an entertaining package. Nicely done. Wonderful stuff, Ed: great choice of profile subjects and you wove this nicely. Aiden is obviously of extraordinary intellect and temperament, but his seemingly erratic, bounce-around, win-some-lose-some, capitalize-on-mistakes story is not truly an exception but a sort of condensation of how science so often works. The extremity of his example makes him seem the exception, but in a sense he proves a larger rule: That science is messy, and ideas lead to other ideas as often by elastic collision with failure as by smooth upward progression.

All in an entertaining package. Nicely done.

]]> By: Jack Kerbabba http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2011/06/08/the-renaissance-man-how-to-become-a-scientist-over-and-over-again/#comment-11983 Jack Kerbabba Wed, 15 Jun 2011 18:04:41 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/?p=4682#comment-11983 Like others, I'm struck by the thought of how significant a role Google played in Aiden's recent work. And how difficult it would be for a scientist properly critical of Google to receive anywhere near the level of cooperation. Like others, I’m struck by the thought of how significant a role Google played in Aiden’s recent work. And how difficult it would be for a scientist properly critical of Google to receive anywhere near the level of cooperation.

]]> By: Phillip Screwdriver http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2011/06/08/the-renaissance-man-how-to-become-a-scientist-over-and-over-again/#comment-11982 Phillip Screwdriver Tue, 14 Jun 2011 21:35:01 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/?p=4682#comment-11982 @James Burke I got that! @James Burke

I got that!

]]> By: Jim Harrison http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2011/06/08/the-renaissance-man-how-to-become-a-scientist-over-and-over-again/#comment-11981 Jim Harrison Tue, 14 Jun 2011 15:32:32 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/?p=4682#comment-11981 Nice piece Ed, but Nature and Science are hardly considered top or serious periodicals (other than by circulation) among serious scientists. More in the nature of Pop Science magazines. No reflection on Aiden. Nice piece Ed, but Nature and Science are hardly considered top or serious periodicals (other than by circulation) among serious scientists. More in the nature of Pop Science magazines. No reflection on Aiden.

]]> By: Ravi Kumar http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2011/06/08/the-renaissance-man-how-to-become-a-scientist-over-and-over-again/#comment-11980 Ravi Kumar Mon, 13 Jun 2011 10:03:41 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/?p=4682#comment-11980 Simpley superb Simpley superb

]]> By: Noumenon http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2011/06/08/the-renaissance-man-how-to-become-a-scientist-over-and-over-again/#comment-11979 Noumenon Sun, 12 Jun 2011 03:10:51 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/?p=4682#comment-11979 Does the "fractal" part of "fractal globule" imply that there's basically just one folding technique involved? Like zooming in on a fractal image shows the same structure again? What I'm asking is whether this structure is complicated to create or whether it could arise by applying just one folding rule over and over. Does the “fractal” part of “fractal globule” imply that there’s basically just one folding technique involved? Like zooming in on a fractal image shows the same structure again? What I’m asking is whether this structure is complicated to create or whether it could arise by applying just one folding rule over and over.

]]> By: Skip Harrington http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2011/06/08/the-renaissance-man-how-to-become-a-scientist-over-and-over-again/#comment-11978 Skip Harrington Sat, 11 Jun 2011 20:25:11 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/?p=4682#comment-11978 It was people like this in the 13th through the 16th century that brought the methodology of scientific thought and exploration into common practice. That this man in this day and age can cross the boundaries of several disciplines is a move in the right direction. While research directed at a specific goal is the "Go to" approach, there is the fact that things are overlooked. Connections that are not made, and opportunity's missed due to the tunnel-vision of goal-oriented research. I am a layman, but I have an overall knowledge and understanding of my world and the processes that make us tick. Shallow, yes; but I can speak to most questions. Would we all do so, it may just uncover new truths as yet languishing in the realm of ignorance. It was people like this in the 13th through the 16th century that brought the methodology of scientific thought and exploration into common practice. That this man in this day and age can cross the boundaries of several disciplines is a move in the right direction. While research directed at a specific goal is the “Go to” approach, there is the fact that things are overlooked. Connections that are not made, and opportunity’s missed due to the tunnel-vision of goal-oriented research. I am a layman, but I have an overall knowledge and understanding of my world and the processes that make us tick. Shallow, yes; but I can speak to most questions. Would we all do so, it may just uncover new truths as yet languishing in the realm of ignorance.

]]> By: tom http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2011/06/08/the-renaissance-man-how-to-become-a-scientist-over-and-over-again/#comment-11977 tom Sat, 11 Jun 2011 13:30:56 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/?p=4682#comment-11977 It's all well and good being a polymath jumping between subjects, but how far would he have got if all his specialised colleagues and collaborators (who I suspect did most of the work) all wanted to be polymaths too. Probably not too far. It’s all well and good being a polymath jumping between subjects, but how far would he have got if all his specialised colleagues and collaborators (who I suspect did most of the work) all wanted to be polymaths too. Probably not too far.

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