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Without some incentive for such people to exist, it seems likely that "obvious" connections between different fields may be missed for extended periods of time as people focus on executing incremental experiments.
The one potential problem with going down this road is that even fewer people will have a broad understanding of what is going on in complicated experiments as labs are increasingly encouraged to specialize in a technique. Without some incentive for such people to exist, it seems likely that "obvious" connections between different fields may be missed for extended periods of time as people focus on executing incremen…
The way I envision it working is that the person who has the grand idea obtains a grant and then breaks it up into microgrants which are outsourced to specialists to conduct the expts efficiently. The results are then combined to obtain a broad understanding of the particular question being asked by the grant holder. The broad results can be communicated to all participants.
It makes sense when you look at other industries from car manufacturing to IT. In the west people moved to more and more specialized, cutting edge stuff (Tesla, developing new dbs) while the bread and butter moved to places where it was more economic. Makes sense that the trend would continue in science as well.
Yes, But the thing with science is that a scientist has historically been considered as not just someone competent enough to run a given experiment but also as a "seeker after truth". And this does mean something, it means that the scientist someone who you can trust to some degree to run experiments honestly. And that trust has been broken on regular intervals and that trust gets verified by repetition sure. But the…
It makes sense when you look at other industries from car manufacturing to IT. In the west people moved to more and more specialized, cutting edge stuff (Tesla, developing new dbs) while the bread and butter moved to places where it was more economic. Makes sense that the trend would continue in science as well.
Yes, But the thing with science is that a scientist has historically been considered as not just someone competent enough to run a given experiment but also as a "seeker after truth". And this does mean something, it means that the scientist someone who you can trust to some degree to run experiments honestly. And that trust has been broken on regular intervals and that trust gets verified by repetition sure. But the…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yes, But the thing with science is that a scientist has historically been considered as not just someone competent enough to run a given experiment but also as a "seeker after truth". And this does mean something, it means that the scientist someone who you can trust to some degree to run experiments honestly. And that trust has been broken on regular intervals and that trust gets verified by repetition sure. But the…
The current system for evaluating a scientists reputation and integrity is hardly perfect - it is estimated that fewer than 50% of data in published papers can be reproduced ( http://lifescivc.com/2011/03/academic-bias-biotech-failures/ ). By creating a marketplace that has feedback and reputation it might be possible to actually improve basic "integrity" in scientific research
I wonder if that data has been reproduced.
I also have a sudden inspiration for an XKCD strip.
It did? I thought it was generally accepted that outsourcing "IT" didn't really work out well.
The one potential problem with going down this road is that even fewer people will have a broad understanding of what is going on in complicated experiments as labs are increasingly encouraged to specialize in a technique. Without some incentive for such people to exist, it seems likely that "obvious" connections between different fields may be missed for extended periods of time as people focus on executing incremen…
Actually I think this has the potential to increase the connections between different fields because it will truly incentivize collaborations through a market mechanism rather than the bartering system which currently exists (i.e I'll trade you conducting this expt for authorship). The way I envision it working is that the person who has the grand idea obtains a grant and then breaks it up into microgrants which are…
Managing intellectual peers as subordinates will not work, if the "specialist" is any smart, not just educated.
Btw: a grand idea is worth nothing as it is: everybody has grand ideas. Verne had the idea to go to the Moon, wrote it (ie. published it). I wonder why he is not credited for it...
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I get the strong impression you have a very specific area or areas of science in mind, but you seem to speak in generalities. One can't outsource, e.g., physics, anthropology, or geology. So what specific fields typically run experiments which can be outsourced? Is it just biology?
In some sense some of experimental physics is getting "outsourced" already. For example (my understanding is that) there are many physicists working on experimental data coming out of CERN who are not participating actual design/running of the system. In that sense they are outsourcing the work to specialists.
Many physicists accept to operate at the need to know level and do not satisfy their curiosity, for fear of being left to "find other opportunities".
Outsourcing revolutionized the IT industry in the 1990s and 2000s It did? I thought it was generally accepted that outsourcing "IT" didn't really work out well.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Hi Jess - Science Exchange allows scientists to outsource individual experiments to specialist labs and facilities. For example gene expression profiling can be outsourced to specialist microarray providers. This is becoming a bigger and bigger issue as technology advances and scientists are forced to become more specialized.
I get the strong impression you have a very specific area or areas of science in mind, but you seem to speak in generalities. One can't outsource, e.g., physics, anthropology, or geology. So what specific fields typically run experiments which can be outsourced? Is it just biology?