If you think curiosity without rigor is bad, you should see rigor without curiosity.
Good Science [Explained]
Transcript Under the Cut
[Miss Lenhart is standing in front of a whiteboard with some scribbles on it.] Miss Lenhart: I'm supposed to give you the tools to do good science.
[Miss Lenhart is now standing in front of Jill and Cueball, who are seated at classroom desks.] Miss Lenhart: But what are those tools? Miss Lenhart: Methodology is hard and there are so many ways to get incorrect results. Miss Lenhart: What is the magic ingredient that makes for good science?
[Miss Lenhart headshot.] Miss Lenhart: To figure it out, I ran a regression with all the factors people say are important:
[A list, presented in a sub-panel that Miss Lenhart is pointing to:] Outcome variable: • correct scientific results
Predictors: • collaboration • skepticism of others' claims • questioning your own beliefs • trying to falsify hypotheses • checking citations • statistical rigor • blinded analysis • financial disclosure • open data [presumably the list goes on, as it runs off the visible part of the panel]
[Another Miss Lenhart headshot.] Miss Lenhart: The regression says two ingredients are the most crucial: 1) genuine curiosity about the answer to a question, and 2) ammonium hydroxide
[Miss Lenhart, standing, and Jill, seated at desk] Jill: Wait, why did ammonia score so high? How did it even get on the list? Miss Lenhart: ...and now you're doing good science!
