This week is British science week, which celebrates all things science, technology, engineering and mathematics. It’s always an exciting time in science and now is no exception; doctors in Israel have used mathematical models to predict interactions of cancerous cells, which could help with chemotherapy in the future. The James Webb telescope, a fantastic piece of engineering, has successfully travelled across space and stands ready to explore details of the universe that have never been seen before. SpaceX have been wowing the world with their reusable rockets, a step-change in technology and a visual spectacle every landing. In the UK a new AI algorithm, AlphaFold is allowing the folding structures of proteins to be predicted within hours when current best technology takes an incredible amount of time-consuming practical work, which could revolutionise the treatment of a whole host of different diseases.
These are a snapshot of cutting-edge breakthroughs, but it’s important to remember that important science and discovery is happening all the time all over the world and by all sorts of people. Grotech is rarely at the leading edge of science but we make our fair share of small discoveries too. Such discoveries may include learning something about a granule we’re mixing to help us make a better product, figuring out a better way to clean down machinery, saving time and generating less waste. Developing a new product in the lab to help meet the client’s aims, or undertaking method development for a new analysis requirement. Such things happen everyday within a science environment.
What do all of these endeavours big and small, mathematical or technological have in common? They all apply the scientific method. So what is the scientific method? It is a process that can be applied to the act of discovery. You start with a question, observation or prediction, you gather available information about what you’re looking at, you collect data, test and experiment. With the data you analyse it and test your hypothesis. If the result seems valid (i.e. it is reproducible and you have a grasp of other relevant factors) then you can communicate your result. If it doesn’t seem valid you go back and create a new experiment or test another prediction, thus the cycle runs on until you reach a conclusion.
Ask any scientist and they’ll tell you that experiments rarely work first time, and sometimes never work out at all. This isn’t a failure in the person, or the organisation, it’s just the way these things go. Discoveries often take years before a breakthrough and so you have to learn to live with setbacks. However, when something new is discovered, whether it’s just new to you, to your organisation or it really is new to science then it’s a fantastic feeling and it’s a big part of what makes science so exciting; you never know the outcome before you begin and it so often surprises you, even the failures can be exciting in this way.
You don’t need a lab or the backing of a multi-million corporation to be able to do science, science can be done almost anywhere, including at home. Firstly ask yourself – what are you interested in? Is it nature in the garden, the clouds in the sky, the number of yellow-cars that drive past? Anything can be turned into an experiment and anything can be explored using the scientific method.
You don’t have to be a doctor or a professor, you don’t need a lab coat, in fact it doesn’t matter who you are or where you’re from, everyone can engage with science and like all things it gets easier the more you do, and you find you get better and more astute the further you explore. Who knows, a few experiments at home could nurture a passion that turns into a career. The sky is the limit!
Happy British Science Week everyone from the team at Grotech Production.
