Aetiology

Paleontologists X-ray fossil embryos

The article describes the cover story in this weeks' Nature, that PZ has already blogged about here. As the headline to the story suggests:

Paleontologists have created detailed three-dimensional images of evolution's first multicellular creatures in their embryonic stages, some so detailed that they reveal more about the development of long-extinct creatures than scientists know about their modern counterparts.

PZ has much more about the science and implications, and since that's his area I won't even try to elaborate, but what struck me was this quote from the lead author:

"The results are truly orgasmic," said Philip C. Donoghue, a paleontologist at Bristol University in England who led the team that created the images.

Lots of people just don't get scientists. There was recently a discussion in the comments here about what motivates scientists. Promise of fame, fortune, groupies? (Yeah, I hear the laughter). Very occasionally, that results. Some scientists *do* become rich and famous, but that's certainly rare. But what's much more universal are the total geek-out moments that occur when we find something new and fascinating to us, like that described by Donoghue above. Sure, maybe the average Joe can't relate to finding fossil embryos "orgasmic," but surely we all have something in our life that we just find so completely interesting that, when it goes right, we can experience the same kind of wonder and awe, whether it's a perfect tomato in the garden after a summer of work, an amazing picture on a new camera, or the finishing touches on a piece of art you've been working on for months. Largely, what motivates many scientists motivates all of us--utter fascination with a topic, curiosity, and a desire to make some type of breakthrough, be it large or small.

Still, you won't find me describing microbiology and epidemiology as "orgasmic" at a cocktail party anytime soon.

Reference

Donoghue et al. 2006. Synchrotron X-ray tomographic microscopy of fossil embryos. Nature. 442:680-3. Link.