We Are All Scientists - Beatrice the Biologist

I find it particularly funny when people think scientists are just those that stand around in labcoats mixing colorful liquids in oddly-shaped glass beakers. This isn’t true at all! All human beings are scientists. Don’t believe me? Well, a scientist is one who deals with the principles of science. Let’s see what exactly that is:

Systematic knowledge of the physical or material world gained through observation and experimentation.

After looking at this definition, do you think you’re a scientist? Probably not. But let me give you an example of a well-thought out scientific experiment that took place in every day life. I witnessed this first hand:

My little sister was 4, and I was 8. She came to me before she went to bed one night and whispered, “Katie, I lost a tooth today. I think mom might be the Tooth Fairy, so I’m going to put the tooth under my pillow, but I’m not going to tell mom. I’m going to see what happens.”

I replied, “That is a great idea. You do that.”

My sister went to bed, and I went and told my mom what was up–just doing my part to preserve the innocence of childhood for a bit longer.

Now, this might just sound like usual cute little kid stuff to you, but actually, it is a quite elegant experiment. Without realizing it, my little sister had traced out the basic steps of the scientific process. Her hypothesis was that my mom was the Tooth Fairy. The independent variable was notifying mom of the lost tooth, and the dependent variable was the Tooth Fairy response, a coin under her pillow in the morning.

To test her theory, my sister changed the independent variable–she didn’t notify mom. Now, If I hadn’t ruined her experiment by telling our mom, she would have discovered with science that there was no Tooth Fairy because the dependent variable would have changed also–the Tooth Fairy wouldn’t have done her job. This would have proved that the whole process depended on mother notification, which definitely implies that it is indeed the mother who is performing these “Tooth Fairy” duties.

All human beings are scientists because we are constantly testing our surroundings to find out information. Even infants are scientists: “Will this annoy my mom? No. Will this annoy my mom? No. Will this annoy my mom? Yes. Now I know what to do when I want to annoy my mom in order to get what I want.”

Science is not just the Dr. Frankenstein cooped up in a basement lab with bubbling beakers and cadavers. Science is simply the process all humans use to discover new things. Think about all the ways you have learned new things and tested the limits and outcomes of yourself, your friends, and the world around you. You’re a great scientist!