The Elegance of Scientific Research

In his editorial in the last edition of 2008 of Science magazine, Bruce Alberts highlights the most significant discoveries covered in Science throughout 2008.

Interestingly, he mentions that the two most prominent discoveries (cell programming and direct observations of planets 100 light years away) span the scale of 10^23 meters, which is a “breathtaking illustration of the tremendous reach of science” as Bruce Alberts puts it.

Despite these amazing discoveries, Dr. Alberts discusses an important aspect of scientific research: the unknowns are unending. These breakthrough discoveries are only the beginning, because they have certainly raised a whole new set of questions. In fact, one would say, that (especially relevant for the cell programming breakthrough) a new field has been born.

As I look back at 2008, even for my own research, I agree with Bruce Alberts that scientific discovery is definitely inspiring… I cannot wait to learn about what I as well as other scientists will continue to unravel in 2009.