• Question: Has Any Of Your Research Changed The Way That You Think Of Ways Of Life? If So How?

    Asked by joxxx to James, Marcus, Martin, Rob, Suzanne on 20 Mar 2012.
    • Photo: Marcus Gallagher-Jones

      Marcus Gallagher-Jones answered on 20 Mar 2012:

      I suppose it did a bit. The first time I found out about proteins and how they function within the body my mind was fairly blown. It does put a whole new perspective on how the body functions and the amazing complexity of the system.

    • Photo: Suzanne McEndoo

      Suzanne McEndoo answered on 20 Mar 2012:

      I think being a scientist has changed the way I think. It’s made me much more precise, so my sentences tend to involve more subclauses, and hence commas, and clarifications. 😛 In maths in particular, you have to be precise. Something happening for all cases is a very different thing from it only happening in some cases, or just knowing there exists somewhere a case where it happens. It also makes you think a lot about assumptions that are made, and how things change when you change assumptions.

      It’s also great to come across (to steal Marcus’ phrase) mind blowing discoveries. Like the fact that some plants might be using quantum physics for photosynthesis. This basically means that nature has already invented a small, very specialised quantum computer!

    • Photo: Martin Zaltz Austwick

      Martin Zaltz Austwick answered on 20 Mar 2012:

      It’s helping me to understand the way that people live together, and how cities work. It’s very complicated, it turns out…

    • Photo: Robert Thompson

      Robert Thompson answered on 20 Mar 2012:

      I don’t think so really. My research looks at how tiny molecules react with light and the environment. This doesn’t really impact on life as we know it. Working in a university means I interact with people doing amazing research everyday though. Some of the things I find out on a weekly basis really do blow my mind and I love that.

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