While I don’t have the slightest clue on how bad or stressful a Ph.D. in any of the STEM fields (or any field), can be since I’m relatively new to this, I wanted to remind myself of why I began and how much I love research.
The first two months taught me to ask the “why” and “how.”
Why does a phenomenon happen?
How does ‘it’ affect the phenomenon.
Secondly, everything is a correlation, until proven otherwise.
If activation of A upregulates B, showing some phenotype C, the preliminary results is a correlation.
If there is constitutive downregulation of B and upon activation of A, upregulation of B is observed and the phenotype C is then seen, then it provides you the first clue for sufficiency.
Lastly, if only upregulation of B can affect the phenotype C, then it is necessity. How will you show that?
One of the methods would be by knocking out or blocking A. If A isn’t activated, B is in a constitutively downregulated state, phenotype C isn’t observed.
Hallelujah!
Welcome to the insanity of scientists.
While most would like to say it’s the “complexity” of biology, which, I have to admit, it is. It’s a mind-boggling experience. How can you be so sure and not be showing correlations itself?
Here’s a gentle reminder on why I started Ph.D.
- I like to be in the “learning phase” of my life much more than the earning phase.
- I like to answer the same question in ten different ways just to tell everyone that it works.
- I’d like the sound of a “Ph.D.” at the end of my name.
Although, jokes aside. I enjoy tinkering around the lab and figuring out what works and why.
I think sometimes when we’re in the rabbit-hole of scientific writing, we forget why we began- because we were fascinated with our respective questions, our “purpose”, to find something novel. In the rat race of trying to tell the world that its great and novel is where the problems begin- because I’m not a good orator. I’m a good writer.
But one needs to talk about their work using the “proper” language too and scientists seem to be too cautious when it comes to wordplay. Those of them who aren’t are considering fools for biting off more than they can chew.
Ground breaking Grewall 