The secret to scientific discoveries? Making mistakes | Phil Plait
Mar 18, 2019
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In this insightful discussion, Phil Plait, an astronomer who played a key role in the Hubble Space Telescope team, shares fascinating tales from his scientific journey. He recounts how the discovery of the first exoplanet occurred alongside a mistake, showing that errors are vital to progress. Plait emphasizes that science is not just a collection of facts—it's a process of inquiry that thrives on testing and revising ideas. Embracing mistakes, he argues, fosters knowledge and understanding, making the journey of discovery all the more rewarding.
Phil Plait was on the Hubble Space Telescope team that discovered the first exoplanet ever detected -- until they realized they'd made a mistake. What happened next? Follow along as Plait shows how science progresses -- through a robust amount of making and correcting errors. "The price of doing science is admitting when you're wrong, but the payoff is the best there is: knowledge and understanding," he says.