Are scientisits immune from making logical fallacies?
Critical thinking is what makes a good scientist. But I have to admit that I never had a formal training on that subject and had to learn it by listening to an excellent podcast (http://www.theskepticsguide.org/). The lead podcaster Steven Novella has...
Optimism, pessimism, realism, and stress
Optimism and stress are quite common character traits among astronomers. Unexpectedly, both are related. Our tendency to be optimistic about our ability to achieve a goal in a given amount of time, which is hard to determine in science, often results...
The Architecture of scientific discovery
In his essay “The Architecture of Happiness”, Alain de Botton explores how humans shape their surroundings to incorporate their desire of beauty, which ultimately leads to happiness. This begs the question: what would be the best architecture for an astronomical...
Is the show “The Big Bang theory” good or bad for the public’s perception of astronomers?
Socially, scientists are like the general population. A few may lack general social skills, other may be particularly outgoing but most of them are just plain “normal”. Sitcoms are designed to exaggerate contrasting personalities to create easy comic...
Giving a scientific oral presentation: a pleasure or an ordeal?
This is my first blog and I suppose that I should expose my motivations. This blog will essentially focus on my personal account of a scientist’s daily life in the fascinating field of Astronomy and Astrophysics. I will avoid as much as possible actual...
