Letters to a Young Scientist

Ignorance can be a wonderful opportunity for discovery. A scientist should be able to spot gaps in their own knowledge, which requires careful consideration. Being able to ask the right questions is more important than being able to find the right answer. Scientists in all fields are explorers, and that means that they must learn new things and be humble in their own ignorance.

Although scientists can study the cosmos, there are infinite discoveries to be made on Earth alone. For instance, the Yasuni National Park in Ecuador is one of the most biodiverse places on Earth. Due to the sheer number of species in the park, very little is known about their biology, especially the insects. The number of species in the Yasuni is also still a mystery. Young scientists can be assured that there are still important discoveries to be made in biology as in other fields. Wilson urges scientists to explore and learn about this area before its biodiversity is destroyed by human activity. 

It is not only highly biodiverse regions that contain the possibility of great discoveries. Even places like the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica, where life is scarce, can still yield exciting scientific discoveries to those who know where to look. Bacteria, fungi, microscopic animals, lichen, insects, and algae all thrive in Antarctica, and many of them are very poorly understood. The number of known species in 2009 with formal Latin names was 1.9 million, but Wilson believes that the true number “both discovered and remaining to be discovered” (193) could exceed 10 million. If bacteria and archaea were added to this count, the number could increase by a factor of 10, to 100 million.

Relatively little is known about life on Earth to this day, which is great news for young scientists hoping to make new discoveries. Wilson closes the chapter by talking directly to young people, urging them to take part in a scientific field of study for the sake of the long-term survival of humanity.

Wilson describes the process of developing scientific theories using his own work as an example. One of Wilson’s most famous experiments involved the theory of chemical communication through pheromones. When Wilson was young, entomologists understood that pheromones played a role in insect behaviors, but there was no unified theory of pheromone communication. Wilson sought to develop one through experimentation. He wanted this theory to explain how processes like natural selection have impacted the evolution of pheromone messages.

Wilson and a colleague devised a series of experiments that they hoped would answer all their questions. They published their findings in a scientific journal, including the findings of experiments that were failures. Other scientists used the information from these studies to conduct their own research, deepening and broadening the knowledge originally gained from Wilson’s experiments. Some were also able to find the mistakes in Wilson’s failed experiments.

In the end, Wilson’s original theory about chemical communication proved to be more or less correct. The original and subsequent experiments showed where some correlations and assumptions fell short. Some aspects of the theory still need clarification and further testing. Nevertheless, out of this process, Wilson was able to develop an accepted working scientific theory about chemical communication. His work moved science closer to previously unknown truths about the world.

To further illustrate how scientific theories are developed, Wilson turns to biogeography, the study of how organisms interact with and travel throughout their environment. As a student, Wilson came across the theory of William Diller Matthew (1871-1930) from 1915. Matthew believed that all successful, competitively superior mammals, including humans, originated “in the great Eurasian landmass of the north temperate zone” (214) before spreading south to places like Africa and the Indian subcontinent. At the time, this theory was widely accepted. Later, when new fossil evidence surfaced, scientists learned that humans did not arise in Eurasia, but rather in Africa. 

Matthew’s theory did turn out to be somewhat accurate when applied to the animal species of North and South America. These communities were isolated from each other for a long time, and when they came back into contact, the animals from North America largely ended up dominating those from South America. The reasons for the relative dominance of North American fauna are not yet well understood, but Wilson finds the opportunity to study such a massive ecological shift fascinating. If young scientists share his enthusiasm, then they are probably in the right field of study, as they will also be able to engage with these grand theories of species’ dominance, convergence, and divergence over millions of years.

Wilson assures the young scientist that the scientific community is not a difficult one to enter. Though past generations of scientists have had great success, there is still so much to be learned and explored through new scientific experimentation. Each new generation of scientists owes much to the previous generation, and Wilson argues that this has always been true. He describes his experience as a young scientist, as well as that of a contemporary, Robert H. MacArthur. Both he and MacArthur were brilliant young minds, but they were mentored by “giants” of their fields who helped them achieve academic success through all the difficulties of their rapidly changing scientific world. With the help of older scientists, Wilson was able to make his own important contributions to the field of evolutionary biology, a term that he in fact coined. 

It is not only the inspiration of older generations that drives scientists to make discoveries, but also envy and insecurity. Wilson and MacArthur were driven by the desire to create a theory that would justify the existence of the new field of evolutionary biology. Through much thought, experimentation, and consultation with other scientists over two years, Wilson and MacArthur were able to complete an important experiment about the rate of proliferation of living organisms on islands. These experiments helped establish the fields of evolutionary biology and island biogeography. Wilson sees this period as the most “satisfying experiences of [his] entire scientific life” (240). Wilson hopes that all young scientists will have such good fortune, and highlights that he was able to have these successes because he “stood on the shoulders of giants” (240).

Wilson closes Letters to a Young Scientist by highlighting the importance of ethics in science. He urges young scientists to be prepared for competition, much like business entrepreneurs must expect competition. He argues that original discoveries are the most important thing, the “silver and gold of science” (244), and that it is vitally important to give credit where credit is due. Giving proper credit is not only morally important, but also crucial to the exchange of information throughout the scientific community. No scientist works in true isolation from the rest of the community, and all ideas are built off of other existing ideas, so proper citation and credit is of the utmost importance. 

Wilson assures the young scientist that it is okay to make mistakes. It is best to try to avoid big mistakes, and to admit mistakes publicly before moving on. Mistakes that are admitted can be forgiven, but fraud or deliberate lying will usually mark the end of a career and all academic integrity. Wilson also advises against publishing work of which one is not completely certain. If this is not possible, admitting to uncertainty in reports and published journals is perfectly acceptable, as it gives other scientists the opportunity to explore those uncertainties.

A scientific career must pursue truth above all else. Scientists can also be activists, if they choose to be, as their understanding of scientific truth can be useful to certain causes. Wilson concludes by urging young scientists to never betray the trust of the scientific community.