69 | Keith Yamamoto and the freedom to fail

Night Science

#Science #Biology #Natural Sciences #Itai Yanai And Martin Lercher #Itai Yanai #Martin Lercher #Creativity #Philosophy #Method #Scientists

5:37

Great short Bonus Show for all our loyal podcast fans. This week a tremendous comedy team shares comedy and music...it's "Mack & Jamie" , stars of TV's "Comedy Break"; sharing loads of musical humor. Enjoy!

acum un an 40:40

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Keith Yamamoto, professor and science policy leader at UCSF, discusses with us how modern science became trapped in a system that discourages creative risk-taking. Keith contrasts academia's fear of failure with Silicon Valley's acceptance of it as just another day at the office. We also talk about Keith’s introduction of a new NIH grant category specifically for paradigm-challenging ideas, where he deliberately chose generalist reviewers rather than domain experts who might reject ideas threatening their own paradigms.
For more information about Night Science, visit https://www.biomedcentral.com/collections/night-science .

72 episoade

69 | Keith Yamamoto and the freedom to fail

Night Science

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72 episoade

#Science #Biology #Natural Sciences #Itai Yanai And Martin Lercher #Itai Yanai #Martin Lercher #Creativity #Philosophy #Method #Scientists

Toate episoadele

1
70 | Meghan O’Rourke on being the artist and their caretaker 45:15

acum 15 zile45:15

45:15

Meghan O'Rourke , acclaimed author of The Invisible Kingdom, poet , and Yale professor , joins us to explore the parallels between creative writing and scientific discovery . She describes how deep immersion in a project attracts unexpected insights, and she introduces Night Poetry and Day Poetry , inspired by our concepts of Night Science and Day Science—where night represents raw creation and day embodies refinement. We discuss how scientists and writers face similar challenges: questioning assumptions , balancing structure with spontaneity, and finding meaning in unexpected connections . Through Meghan's insights, we discover how creativity manifests similarly across disciplines , and how being an outsider can often lead to fresh perspectives. For more information about Night Science, visit https://www.biomedcentral.com/collections/night-science .…

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69 | Keith Yamamoto and the freedom to fail 40:40

acum 5 weeks40:40

40:40

Keith Yamamoto , professor and science policy leader at UCSF, discusses with us how modern science became trapped in a system that discourages creative risk-taking . Keith contrasts academia's fear of failure with Silicon Valley 's acceptance of it as just another day at the office. We also talk about Keith’s introduction of a new NIH grant category specifically for paradigm-challenging ideas , where he deliberately chose generalist reviewers rather than domain experts who might reject ideas threatening their own paradigms. For more information about Night Science, visit https://www.biomedcentral.com/collections/night-science .…

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68 | Peter Godfrey-Smith and middle class science 33:43

acum 7 weeks33:43

33:43

Peter Godfrey-Smith , a Professor of the Philosophy of Science at the University of Sydney, explores with us the differences between creativity in science and philosophy . While philosophers speculate unconstrainedly, scientists must balance creative thinking with the need for empirical testing and within our fields’ paradigms – if you mention the “Lamarck” word at a bar full of geneticists, don’t be surprised if the piano suddenly stops and everybody looks at you in disbelief. We also talk about Thomas Kuhn ’s tension between normal and revolutionary science, the risks and rewards of disruptive ideas, and the importance of " middle-class science "—independent labs driving innovation. Peter ends by drawing a parallel between the night science / day science transition and Händel's aria "As Steals the Morn," which describes the transition from dream state to wakefulness. This episode was supported by Research Theory (researchtheory.org). For more information about Night Science, visit https://www.biomedcentral.com/collections/night-science .…

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67 | A hypothesis is a liability 39:51

acum 11 weeks39:51

39:51

In this episode, Itai and Martin delve into the interplay between hypothesis-driven and exploratory research , drawing on insights from past guests of the Night Science Podcast. They discuss how being focused on a single hypothesis can prevent us from making discoveries, while emphasizing the value of open-ended exploratory analyses—often dismissed as “ fishing expeditions .” The episode also examines the risks inherent to both approaches: hypothesis-driven Day Science may overlook key insights , while exploratory Night Science risks being misled by randomness . This episode was supported by Research Theory (researchtheory.org). For more information about Night Science, visit https://www.biomedcentral.com/collections/night-science .…

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66 | Michael Fischbach and the scientific decision tree 50:52

acum 14 weeks50:52

50:52

In this episode, Stanford professor Michael Fischbach discusses insights from his course on how to choose meaningful research problems . Highlights include: - Invest time in problem selection: Spend more time upfront selecting the right research problem. - Date ideas: Before settling on an idea, explore multiple alternatives without emotional attachment. - Fixed vs. floating parameters: Early on, clearly define what aspects of your research idea are fixed and which can be flexible. - Manage risks: Embrace risk but systematically de-risk projects. - Killer experiments: Identify early “go/no-go” experiments. - Turn crises into opportunities: Use a project's crisis to find out what it's really about. This episode was supported by Research Theory (researchtheory.org). For more information about Night Science, visit https://www.biomedcentral.com/collections/night-science .…

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65 | James Kaufman and the art of creativity maintenance 30:35

acum 17 weeks30:35

30:35

James Kaufman , Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Connecticut, discusses the psychological underpinnings of creative thinking with Itai & Martin. Together, we delve into the complex nature of creativity, exploring its roots as both a trait and a skill that can be nurtured. We examine the role of personality traits in creativity, the impact of interdisciplinary team dynamics , and how creative metacognition —the ability to recognize one’s own creative strengths and weaknesses—plays a vital role. This episode was supported by Research Theory (researchtheory.org). For more information about Night Science, visit https://www.biomedcentral.com/collections/night-science .…

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64 | Robert Weinberg and the perils of being a Fachidiot 42:31

acum 22 weeks42:31

42:31

MIT's Bob Weinberg is perhaps the world's most prominent cancer researcher. In this episode, Bob emphasizes that true innovation often comes from blending ideas from different fields – a synthesis that transcends the boundaries of one's primary area of research. We discuss the vital role of human interaction , with many scientific breakthroughs coming from informal collaborations between researchers, celebrating the collective " lab brain " as a powerful driver of creativity and discovery. And given that modern experimental methods could facilitate an essentially infinite variety of alternative projects, Bob recommends that we continually question the relevance of what we have chosen to work on. This episode was supported by Research Theory (researchtheory.org). For more information about Night Science, visit https://www.biomedcentral.com/collections/night-science .…

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63 | Manu Prakash and how the discovery changes you 44:49

acum 25 weeks44:49

44:49

Manu Prakash is a professor of bioengineering at Stanford University, asking biological questions with insights from physics. His most widely known contribution is the FoldScope , a $1-microscope made from paper and a lens – 2 million copies of this have been distributed to would-be scientists around the world. In this episode, Manu emphasizes how science is a sense of wonder and a personal journey with no set roads. To get to new and deep questions, Manu feels he needs to “embed” himself in the world he's studying , e.g., by spending weeks on research vessels on the open sea when he’s interested in deep-sea biology. In his view, the most important consequence of a discovery is not how it impacts the world, but how it changes the scientist making the discovery. This episode was supported by Research Theory (researchtheory.org). For more information about Night Science, visit https://www.biomedcentral.com/collections/night-science .…

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62 | Dianne Newman and the visceral and intentional sides of science 40:09

acum 28 weeks40:09

40:09

Dianne Newman – a molecular microbiologist at CalTech – is a professor both in Biology and Geology. In this episode, she encourages young scientists to pursue questions to which they have a visceral connection, rather than following popular trends. In its search for fundamental truths guided by our inner biases and preferences, Dianne likens scientific curiosity to artistic expression. She emphasizes our control over how much we dwell on the difficult aspects of our research, helping us to find satisfaction in creatively working around whatever obstacles we meet. Dianne also reflects on the unpredictable nature of research, and stresses how a problem that somebody else gives you can very rapidly become yours if you take it upon yourself to become its creative driver. This episode was supported by Research Theory (researchtheory.org). For more information about Night Science, visit https://www.biomedcentral.com/collections/night-science .…

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61 | Tina Seelig on what to do with a really bad idea 29:31

acum 33 weeks29:31

29:31

Tina Seelig is Executive Director of the Knight-Hennessy-Scholars at Stanford University. She is widely known for teaching creativity courses and workshops with an entrepreneurial focus. In this episode, Tina emphasizes the importance of l iving in the problem space longer , taking time to challenge assumptions and reframe questions before rushing to solutions. We discuss how deliberately generating bad ideas can lead to innovative solutions, as they allow for bigger conceptual leaps and often contain the seeds of brilliant ideas. Treating ideas as less precious allows for a continuous flow of creativity. But ideas aren’t cheap – they are free but incredibly valuable, like oxygen. This episode was supported by Research Theory ( researchtheory.org ). For more information about Night Science, visit https://www.biomedcentral.com/collections/night-science .…

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60 | Venki Ramakrishnan and the secrets of doing science over tea 33:53

acum 35 weeks33:53

33:53

Venki Ramakrishnan shared the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for uncovering the structure of the ribosome. He runs a lab at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, England. In this episode, Venki emphasizes the importance of enjoying the scientific process itself, not just aiming for major discoveries. He describes his creativity as a result of mulling over a problem and of talking with people. Venki also highlights the need for scientists to make daily judgment calls about their approach and the future of the project. And he encourages openness and collaboration, viewing the ability to seek help as a strength rather than a weakness. This episode was supported by Research Theory (researchtheory.org) . For more information about Night Science, visit https://www.biomedcentral.com/collections/night-science .…

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59 | Jennifer Oyler-Yaniv and the point of creative frustration 36:04

acum 40 weeks36:04

36:04

Jennifer Oyler-Yaniv is a professor working on the immune system at Harvard’s Medical School. In this episode, we discuss with her how she teaches creativity in her course for PhD students. We explore the emotional roller coaster ride of research projects, typically culminating in the point of creative frustration , where we get stuck and are tempted to either give up or take an easy, sub-par way out. We discuss how the creative process and its tools are really the same in science and in the arts , but that cultural and language differences still make creativity teaching by scientists themselves more relatable to young scientists. And the hosts realize the importance of personality in everyone’s own version of the creative process – with Itai needing a *CRISIS* in each project, while Martin’s projects evolve in much calmer waters. This episode was supported by Research Theory (researchtheory.org) . For more information about Night Science, visit https://www.biomedcentral.com/collections/night-science .…

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58 | Guy Yanai on Pentimenti 24:01

acum 42 weeks24:01

24:01

Guy Yanai is a painter whose work is displayed in many public and private collections across the US, Europe, and Asia, including, for example, the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. His distinctive painting style blends modernist, abstract tendencies together with references to everyday life and popular culture . Coincidentally, Guy is also Itai’s brother. Together, we explore the many similarities and the interesting differences between the creative processes in art and science . We talk about Guy's creative process of letting art projects simmer inside him for as long as possible – until he feels compelled to execute the result. And we find out that what makes good art may be the same principles that lead to good science, including a focus on becoming rather than being , on process rather than outcome. This episode was supported by Research Theory (researchtheory.org). For more information about Night Science, visit https://www.biomedcentral.com/collections/night-science .…

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57 | George Church and shooting for the stars 36:18

acum 44 weeks36:18

36:18

George Church , professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School, leads a large research group at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering . A pioneer in the fields of personalized genomics and synthetic biology, he has co-founded over 50 biotech companies. In 2017, Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world. In this conversation, we discuss the importance of embracing outliers and taking calculated risks – it's not about never failing, it's about failing a million times a day. As Yogi Berra said, "When you come to a fork in the road, take it!” George argues that you can change the world as long as you don't care who gets the credit . He recommends shooting for the stars – maybe you'll hit the moon. This episode was supported by Research Theory (researchtheory.org). For more information on Night Science, visit https://www.biomedcentral.com/collections/night-science .…

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56 | Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz lights a candle for science 39:47

acum 46 weeks39:47