Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes

Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes

While every living organism has a genome of some kind (be it RNA, or DNA), there is considerable variation in the sizes of these blueprints. One major factor that impacts genome size is whether the organism is prokaryotic or eukaryotic. In prokaryotes, the genome contains little to no non-coding sequence, such that genes are tightly clustered in groups or operons sequentially along the chromosome. Conversely, the genes in eukaryotes are punctuated by long stretches of non-coding sequence.

The Scientific Method

The Scientific Method

Chemistry is an empirical science. Scientists often pose questions to understand the chemistry in everyday life and seek answers to these questions. To achieve this, scientists follow a definitive series of steps that together make up the Scientific Method. This approach involves making observations, asking questions, building a hypothesis, conducting experiments, analyzing results, and forming a conclusion.

The Scientific Method

The Scientific Method

Research is what makes the difference between facts and opinions. Facts are observable realities, and opinions are personal judgments, conclusions, or attitudes that may or may not be accurate. In the scientific community, facts can be established only using evidence collected through empirical research.

The Scientific Method

The Scientific Method

The scientific method is a detailed, empirical problem-solving process used by biologists and other scientists. This iterative approach involves formulating a question based on observation, developing a testable potential explanation for the observation (called a hypothesis), making and testing predictions based on the hypothesis, and using the findings to create new hypotheses and predictions.
Generally, predictions are tested using carefully-designed experiments. Based on the outcome of these...

Statistical Significance

Statistical Significance

Once data is collected from both the experimental and the control groups, a statistical analysis is conducted to find out if there are meaningful differences between the two groups. A statistical analysis determines how likely any difference found is due to chance (and thus not meaningful). In psychology, group differences are considered meaningful, or significant, if the odds that these differences occurred by chance alone are 5 percent or less. Stated another way, if we repeated this...

Scientific Nature of Social Psychology

Scientific Nature of Social Psychology

Social psychology is a scientific discipline dedicated to understanding how individuals think, feel, and behave in social contexts. Unlike common sense, which relies on anecdotal experiences and intuition, social psychology employs systematic research and empirical methods to ensure objectivity and reliability. This distinction is fundamental in distinguishing scientifically supported findings from mere speculation.Four fundamental scientific values guide a structured approach to research in...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Enhancing inference of differential gene expression in metatranscriptomes from human microbial communities.

Nature communications·2026

Same author

Mapping single-cell diploid chromatin fiber architectures using DAF-seq.

Nature biotechnology·2025

Same author

Identification of functional non-coding variants associated with orofacial cleft.

Nature communications·2025

Same author

Massively parallel characterization of insulator activity across the genome.

Nature communications·2024

Same author

Mutational scanning of <i>CRX</i> classifies clinical variants and reveals biochemical properties of the transcriptional effector domain.

Genome research·2024

Same author

Effect of genomic and cellular environments on gene expression noise.

Genome biology·2024

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 25, 2026

The Innovation Arena: A Method for Comparing Innovative Problem-Solving Across Groups

The Innovation Arena: A Method for Comparing Innovative Problem-Solving Across Groups

Published on: May 13, 2022

How should novelty be valued in science?

Barak A Cohen¹

¹Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology and Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, United States.

|July 26, 2017

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Overemphasizing novelty in science may hinder progress and harm the scientific community. Researchers suggest prioritizing predictive power over novelty for better scientific advancement.

Keywords:

novelty peer review philosophy of science science policy scientific publishing sociology of science

More Related Videos

Novel Object Recognition and Object Location Behavioral Testing in Mice on a Budget

Novel Object Recognition and Object Location Behavioral Testing in Mice on a Budget

Published on: November 20, 2018

Novel Object Exploration as a Potential Assay for Higher Order Repetitive Behaviors in Mice

Novel Object Exploration as a Potential Assay for Higher Order Repetitive Behaviors in Mice

Published on: August 20, 2016

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Feb 25, 2026

The Innovation Arena: A Method for Comparing Innovative Problem-Solving Across Groups

The Innovation Arena: A Method for Comparing Innovative Problem-Solving Across Groups

Published on: May 13, 2022

Novel Object Recognition and Object Location Behavioral Testing in Mice on a Budget

Novel Object Recognition and Object Location Behavioral Testing in Mice on a Budget

Published on: November 20, 2018

Novel Object Exploration as a Potential Assay for Higher Order Repetitive Behaviors in Mice

Novel Object Exploration as a Potential Assay for Higher Order Repetitive Behaviors in Mice

Published on: August 20, 2016

Area of Science:

Philosophy of Science
Sociology of Science
Scientific Progress

Background:

Increasing pressure on scientists to conduct "novel" research.
Need to evaluate the impact of novelty emphasis on scientific quality.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore the risks of overemphasizing novelty in defining good science.
To understand the importance of novelty for scientific progress.
To anticipate the impact of novelty emphasis on the scientific community.

Main Methods:

Review of studies from the philosophy of science.
Review of studies from the sociology of science.

Main Results:

Excessive focus on novelty may have counterproductive effects on scientific progress.
Overemphasis on novelty can negatively impact the scientific community's structure and function.

Conclusions:

Current emphasis on novelty in science should be reconsidered.
Renewed focus on predictive power as a key characteristic of good science is recommended.