Homemade science - is this really possible?

09 Jul 2017 category: science .
#science #community

In our hectic and complex world it’s actually easier than ever to conduct your own science experiments at your home. But is recreating experiments actually science?

Reproducing previous discoveries is actually the core of modern science. Instead of just believing others you can read their reports to reproduce their results. As of 2016 we actually have a sort of science crisis as many published results have turned out not to be reproducable. Without reproducibility we cannot trust results and neither the given explanations. By reproducing experiments we not only make science easy to grasp but we improve the foundation of science itself.

You can start experimenting at any age. Some have even hypothized that babies actually conduct experiments when they throw down things (gravity), or when they stuff things into their mounths (consistence) or when they gabble (language).

Homemade science is not bound to particular science areas - you can explore biology, chemistry, physics and any other kind of science experiments at your home.

So what’s the difference to ‘real’ science labs? Of course you have more machinery at your disposal - meaning you can measure more precise or even measure things that are completely outside of the reach of your home. But then again, even cutting edge biological research using CRISPR can be made in your home. So there is little you can NOT do at your home. And if you believe that people were able to do real scientific research fifty or a hundred years ago, you can do the very same research for the most part at your home today.

Only reproducing experiments is not enough to yield new scientific insights. For that you also need to be able to formulate a hypothesis and understand enough of statistics to not fool yourself in case you found a random correlation. BUT: by reproducing experiments you lay out the foundation for your future self to discover new insights. So why not start experimenting today?


Me

Hi, I'm Robert. I work in the mobile industry since 1999. I created J2ME Polish and I'm the founder of Enough Software. I have two great kids and an adorable wife. Life's good.