Lex Fridman Podcast #209 – Luís and João Batalha: Fermat’s Library and the Art of Studying Papers
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Aug 9, 2021 Luís and João Batalha, co-founders of Fermat's Library, are on a mission to improve access to scientific papers through innovative annotations. They discuss the challenges of paywalls in academic publishing and advocate for open access to foster research collaboration. The conversation delves into the importance of storytelling in science, unexpected origins of breakthroughs, and the need for reform in academic communication. They highlight how collaborative platforms can reshape knowledge sharing and emphasize the human element in the scientific process.
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Feynman's Plate
- Feynman lost interest in physics until he saw a student throwing a plate.
- Observing the plate's motion led him to rethink electron orbits and relativity, which reignited his passion and led to his Nobel Prize.
GANs at a Bar
- Ian Goodfellow conceived the idea for GANs at a bar.
- This illustrates how breakthroughs can arise from unexpected moments of insight.
Maturity and Breakthroughs
- Breakthroughs are less frequent as fields mature.
- Machine learning's rapid growth, with 50% of papers published in the last 12 months, demonstrates this.