The Creative Chaos of Science: a More Honest Story- Antonio Giordano

Recognizing that research is not linear would restore its humanity and enhance ignored but crucial phases

Research collaboration in practice: Scientists at the Sbarro Institute work meticulously in the lab under the guidance of Antonio Giordano.

In scientific communication, the narrative often tends to follow an orderly and elegant sequence: hypothesis, experiment, results, conclusion. But those who experience science “from the inside” know well that this linear path is often instead an imaginary idea , which mask the true nature of research: uncertainty, disorder and chaos

It is precisely this idyllic representation that Keith R. Yamamoto invites us to overcome, urging the scientific community to present science for what it really is. His comment on LinkedIn is inspired by an essay by Itai Yanai and Martin Lercher, which explores the value of “open thinking” within the scientific process.

The core of this message is an eloquent image: behind every polished, coherent  and apparently logical publication there is a story of failures, abandoned intuitions, dead ends and sudden discoveries. This is the territory of the so-called “night science,” as François Jacob called it: a raw but intensely creative space where innovation sprouts.

Yamamoto suggests an idea that is as concrete as provocative: what if every scientific article began the “Discussion” section with a paragraph listing deviations, uncertainties, and errors that have marked the research path?

This would restore humanity to scientific work and enhance those phases that are often ignored but crucial for the advancement of knowledge. It would also be a way to recognize the contribution of those who have influenced the path with ideas, suggestions, or unsuccessful experiments but are not appearing in the final result.

This vision brings up one of the most important issue in scientific communication: the difficult balance between rigor and transparency. The formal elegance of an articles is based on the need for clarity and credibility, but it can contribute to the misconception of an infallible, almost mechanical science.

An image that risks to alienate the public and discourage young researchers, who will have to face a much more complex reality. Embracing chaos does not mean giving up accuracy, but choosing to also show the unpredictable and extraordinarily creative aspect of science.

This would be an act of honesty and trust to readers, colleagues, students and society in general because science is not a path already written but a journey into the unknown. And like any authentic exploration, it is born from the fertile disorder at the beginning.

Professor Antonio Giordano, M.D., Ph.D., is the creator and head of the Sbarro Health Research Organization, located at Temple University's College of Science and Technology in Philadelphia. Stay connected with him through his various social media platforms, including Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram, to read the original article here is the link