Hiking is when I feel most calm and thoughtful. On a recent hike in Bruce Peninsula National Park in Canada, I was convinced that the biggest luxury in life is to spend time in nature—it is undeniably beautiful. And so is science, which explains everything there is to understand about the natural world. Science becomes even more beautiful when it is perceived simply and expressed with simplicity.
Take DNA’s double helix, for example. It is composed of just four nucleotides, pairing up with basic base rules, yet capable of storing the unique code for every living organism on Earth. Watson and Crick’s model used a simple spiral to explain something as complex as heredity. It is a shape that holds both form and function in its mysterious twists, and continues to inspire research with every turn.
Simple scientific ideas often predict complex truths before we can prove them. The idea that variation in DNA drives natural selection was simple, yet it led to the powerful theory of evolution, the key foundation to understanding the complex diversity of life on Earth.
But the pursuit of simplicity can sometimes be misleading, hiding the very complexity that makes science richer. For example, the assumption of a simple formula that one gene codes for one trait may be false. Epigenetics, non-coding DNA, and gene-environment interactions have shown that the real picture is more intricate, and perhaps, in a strange way, more beautiful because we are discovering and solving DNA’s complexity each day.
For me, beauty in science, therefore, lies in contradictions. A stem cell that can become anything and yet is nothing. A series of questions and answers and further questions.
As someone who spends weekends trekking through forests and weekdays wondering about the genetic code, I’m learning that beauty in a scientific idea lies not just in finding answers, but in constant exploration.
When the ideas inspire, students like me should keep asking “Why?”
Somewhere between thought and analysis, lies the kind of idea that doesn’t just answer questions. It invites new ones.
“To stay curious” — that, is simply beautiful.
