
Ask HN: Scientific pursuits that are feasible on your own? - Ehrlich
What scientific or intellectual area is open for a single person to tackle and answer problems within the domain? For example, it is theoretically possible for a person to be a self-taught Mathematician but it is not feasible given the lack of credibility, and given where Maths is going, it is more and more a group effort.
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Someone
If you think "lack of credibility" would be a problem in math, little remains,
as math is one of the most objective sciences (Yes, unless you find a proof
that Fermat could have written in the margin of one of his books nobody will
read your P=NP proof if it is the first thing you publish, but chances are
that that Proof contains a few new ideas that you can present in isolation)

In biology, almost everything not genetics or biochemistry is easy to enter.
You can easily (as in: focus and persevere) become the world expert in, say,
spider or mushroom species in your local area and possibly discover some new
species, or study the behavior of some animals in the wild and publish new
findings. It's unlikely you will find a huge audience for it that way, but
that's not to be expected, even if you work at a well-funded institution.

And it is possible to become somewhat well-known using this route. For a
(semi; he has an education in biology) example, see
[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kees_Moeliker](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kees_Moeliker)

You can also fairly easily go on expeditions such as ones trying to find out
whether species X truly is extinct. It mostly requires not being asocial,
being truly interested in the goals of the expedition, and paying for it
yourself (see it as a holiday)

Other fields probably are similar: look where the money goes, choose a
different subject area, and it is likely you can contribute.

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dmfdmf
I think physics is ripe for a revolution. We know Einstein's theories are
incompatible with Quantum Mechanics but the path to reconciliation is not
obvious or it would have been done already. Its unlikely to come from inside
the profession, even by "fringe" groups like the Perimeter Institute, which
isn't really fringe but pretends to be.

Math is the ideal place for the independent outsider. The "group"
mathematicians are just pushing the current fields to their logical
conclusions, nothing wrong with that but its unlikely to create a new area of
math or find anything profound. Its like mathematical engineering, using the
tools/ideas that are known, and a safe career path. If an outsider has a proof
people will listen.

The only other area I can think of would be computer science and inventing a
true AI and not an AI mimic like Microsoft's recent twitter embarrassment, but
in my view that would really be a development in epistemology with AI as its
first application.

So do you think you are a genius? How old are you?

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T-A
Special relativity was unified with quantum mechanics in the 40s. The result
is called quantum field theory; it's the most successful physical theory we
have.

Attempts to quantize general relativity abound. A handful which anyone
interested will mention off the top of their head:
[http://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2015/12/17/what-...](http://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2015/12/17/what-
are-quantum-gravitys-alternatives-to-string-theory/#4f343e313f75)

The problem is not just conceptual or mathematical, it's a total lack of
experimental data. Even if you write down the correct theory of quantum
gravity, you have no realistic way to test it - but you can rest assured that
everybody pursuing a different approach will be right there telling you that
you are an idiot.

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schmatz
I think what you said about mathematics applies for the rest of science in
general - it's more and more of a group effort. That being said, I think there
is ample room for innovation in emerging areas like biohacking.

There is also something to be said for analyzing all of the new datasets
coming online and trying to gather new insights (this is also the least
capital-intensive option!)

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dluan
Almost any scientific pursuit can be independent, but it's more a matter of
dedication and determination rather than feasibility.

It just happens that most people who achieve a lot on their own usually stay
out of the limelight or public eye. This is especially true in ecology or
biology.

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arvinsim
I would agree with the other comments here. Pushing the limits in an area
means getting all the help that you can. Peers help you on some blind spots
that you are not aware of.

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danieltillett
I think most new comets are discovered by amateurs.

~~~
T-A
An amateur robot, maybe: [http://www.universetoday.com/122277/soho-
nears-3000-comet-di...](http://www.universetoday.com/122277/soho-
nears-3000-comet-discoveries/)

~~~
danieltillett
The amateurs are the ones combing the SOHO data :)

