Roller Coaster

Research is a roller coaster. Sometime (most of the time) it is very slow and some other times it goes as a lightning. Most of the time the results will turn out to be pretty depressing. The experiments that will not work or results from which you cannot draw any meaningful conclusions or results that trash your favorite hypothesis. But the occasional success is good enough to boost your morale to pull through the ‘result-less’ dessert. The scarcity of the exciting news could be the reason that makes it very precious.

            I am also fortunate enough to have such rare moments of ecstasy in research.  To give you a full disclosure, unfortunately none of my hypotheses are proven right yet! It is not very surprising given the fact that your hypothesis is one of several possible scenarios nature can mold a biological system (as you may know I am into biomedical research). So many signaling pathways and players that determine a particular cell state or cell’s response to environmental cues. Most of the time hypotheses are built upon available knowledge, which are largely incomplete. When you expect your hypothesis to be right, you are basically expecting your lottery number to hit jackpot (depending on the hypothesis, the odds to get lucky may be slightly better in research). However, as in lucky draw, even if your hypothesis is only partially true, you may still get some benefits. Most of the time that will be the situation. The hypothesis is only a starting point. The experiments to test a hypothesis sometime give you unanticipated findings that might eventually take you to areas that you have never imagined.

            In my case the happy moments have been very transient. I try to draw energy from technical success too. Techniques are the driving force of research.  Most of the time is spent on optimization of experiments. It is a gratifying experience to see the experiment work in ideal scenario (control experiment). It does not matter whether your hypothesis is proven right or wrong, it is the clarity that matters. I am eagerly looking forward to the moment to experience the pleasure of my hypothesis tested right. It is the moment of pride that I have correctly predicted a secret of nature. It may be part luck and part hard work. Who know one day I might get lucky.