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Comment by COGlory | Hacker News Reader

Everyone in science works hard. Only a few get lucky. People get scooped every day.

Source: spent years looking hard for hibernation promotion factor in P. aeruginosa ribosomes via cryo-EM. Got a PhD and worked a whole lot of 16 hour days. Never got lucky.

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Many work hard designing and assembling perpetual motion machines

I can understand why, it's clearly possible. Just look at the galaxies moving away from us faster than the speed of light. Anything is possible, if you work out the magic.

But, see, that's the problem. I can't look at them...

Sure, the universe as a whole does not obey conservation of energy. That does not make it particularly useful for a generator.

It makes sense if you consider our obsevable universe as the inside of a huge black hole.

If this story were at all true, then you know very well that not everyone in science works hard. In my graduate cohort, those who did the sets first year, set themselves into research, and worked hard graduated. Those who did not left with a masters, although many found success in other fields. It was quite clearly delineated.

I'm talking about at the PI level. And yes of course a few people don't work hard, but the overwhelming majority do not differentiate themselves by how hard they work, is the point I'm trying to make. Your average PI has the skill set to take advantage of getting lucky.

Not sure what you're insinuating about the story not being true, would you like to see maps?

Are you saying that people with a masters degree don't work hard?

I know some worked very hard, to not work very hard anymore.

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