This week, a real variety of subjects took us from a leaked document threatening the open internet, through an open-space lab, to the streets of Luxembourg to ponder the origins of creativity, and on to a Parisian café where we discussed the fruits of scientific creativity that may reveal the origins of life itself.
This week, MyScienceWork examined the TPP – the Trans-Pacific Partnership – a trade agreement between the US and 11 other countries. A new chapter on intellectual property was just recently leaked, sparking outrage at its restrictions on the free use of the internet. Among the first victims could be open access…
Intellectual Property chapter of #TPP poses threat to Open Access
Openness, generally speaking, is a good thing; certainly, when we’re talking about access to information. But, if you’re a researcher, do you want your workspace to be open? More interaction with colleagues could open doors to new ideas. It could also leave you open to total distraction. PhD student Antoine Campagne shares his thoughts on the trend in:
On the (in)convenience of open-space labs
The debate on open-space labs is still, yes, open. This setup undoubtedly works for some, while other researchers need calm and quiet to reflect on their work, put ideas together and tap into their scientific creativity. Because, as Christiane explains in this week’s episode of Knock Knock Doc, creativity can be found well beyond the realm of the arts. A PhD candidate in psychology, Christiane explains to Arthur her research on creative personalities and her own hypothesis on creativity’s origins.
Knock Knock Doc - Episode 09 # Season 2: Introversion / Extraversion
You don’t have to look far for examples of creativity in science. How about the almost ridiculous series of events that allowed NASA’s rover Curiosity to land successfully on Mars? In the early days of exobiology research, Stanley Miller recreated the primordial Earth in a jar and set this faux atmosphere on its way to creating the building blocks of life: clever. Today’s research in the field involves synthetic comets, simulated comet crashes, robots on Mars, and radioastronomy reaching out to mere molecules in distant nebulae: How’d they ever think of that?
These were some of the subjects covered on Tuesday at Mardi de l’espace and the #CNESTweetup for the month of November. In this article by Clio Bayle, find out about some of the ways scientists are attempting to answer the question:
Do the building blocks of life come from space?
Understanding how and where the basic stuff of life originated may one day help us learn if it exists elsewhere in the universe. Let’s keep an open mind…
A good weekend to all!
The MyScienceWork Team