The evolution of big ideas: Molecular biology has seen many grand visions come and go and some others come back.

Abstract

The history of science is littered with big ideas—from the Earth being a globe, to the theory of gravity, to phlogiston theory, to the theory of evolution and cold fusion—some of which eventually ended up on the great heap of disproven theories as new knowledge proved them to be wrong or unfeasible. In biomedical research, grand visions include the Human Genome Project (HGP) or the Human Brain Project, therapeutic approaches such as gene therapy or regenerative medicine, or radically new methodologies like genomics or systems biology. All of these ideas have generated much excitement if not hype mainly about their potential to cure diseases or improve human health. Some of these ideas eventually delivered on their promises, whereas many other putative breakthroughs have faded from public attention. > The tendency to get excited by new ideas is intrinsic to the human condition and should be embraced… The tendency to get excited by new ideas is intrinsic to the human condition and should be embraced even if our demand for success and affirmation tends to greatly exceed the rate at which scientific research can deliver results, commented Anthony Nicholls, President and CEO of OpenEye Scientific Software, a privately held company based in Santa Fe, USA, which develops large‐scale molecular modelling applications and toolkits. “The basic thesis is that when working in an endeavour where success is rare, people tend to over react to apparent success by what I call a ‘dopamine reinforcement’ loop”, he said. “Expectation of success raises dopamine levels which makes one less discerning, which increases the expectations of success on more limited data and so on. I think we all do it, especially when we are imaginative and can make good stories about why something ‘ought’ to work”. ### Counter reaction However, the counter reaction to the initial excitement or hype can …