Science and Serendipity: Methods Necessary, Not Sufficient

Presently, there is great demand for workshops to boost research productivity. Admittedly, one must have a working knowledge of a particular language to express oneself in that tongue. Likewise, research methods enable one to communicate scientific discovery with the wider scientific community and beyond. No more, no less. Proficiency in a language ipso factor does not generate Nobel laureates in literature. Likewise mastering research methodology does not enhance creativity leading to path breaking discoveries. Knowing methods do not automatically convert into prime performance. The author of a classic text on gender intimacy was a celibate.[1] Beyond competence in research methods, qualities that make for a researcher are creativity and critical thinking. Creativity in research is a combination of two types of approach—divergent and convergent.[2] Divergent thinking lets the imagination run free—out of the box—while convergent reins in the wild horse spawned by the former, leading to translational research. The former calls for imagination, the latter demands proficiency in research methodology and critical thinking. Critical thinking skills enable one to navigate the current information overload separating the wheat from the chaff. As in life, so in research, Lady Luck in the guise of serendipity plays an important role. It can turn defeat into victory for someone who can maintain equanimity over spilled milk or a mold-infested Petri dish à la Alexander Fleming. Returning to his lab after a vacation, Fleming found that the mold Penicillium notatum had contaminated a Petri dish of Staphylococci. Fleming’s astute observation of a clear zone around the mold indicating the suppression of growth of Staphylococci led to the development of the world’s first antibiotic, which changed the course of management of infectious diseases.[3] Edward Jenner, a keen observer of milkmaids, noticed that they did not contract the killer smallpox. On closer observation, he noticed that they got easily infected with cowpox, a milder infection. He concluded that cowpox infection protected one from the deadlier smallpox. This serendipitous discovery led to the invention of the smallpox vaccine, which ultimately led to the eradication of the scourge.[4] Few other examples of serendipity in research driving paradigm shifts in medicine, include the following: the role of insulin in diabetes[5]; a wrong electrical resistor in a device to record heart sounds leading to the invention of the pacemaker[6]; Roentgen’s accidental discovery that cathode rays can penetrate cardboard leading to X-rays and medical imaging[7]; and discovery of the medical use of warfarin from observations in veterinary medicine.[8] Only a well-trained and prepared fielder in cricket can take sharp catches. In research, “sharp catches” come in the form of serendipity. Only a prepared research mind can take full advantage of random chances coming one’s way. Research methodology is the equivalent of net practice in cricket to proactively educate, prepare, and discipline one to grab fleeting chances encountered during one’s career. Louis Pasteur said, “Chance favours the prepared mind.” Data availability statement Not applicable. Author contribution AB was responsible for all stages of the manuscript preparation, from concept to drafting, revision and approval of the final version.