Suffering into Success: Lessons from the Lab

Dear Magicians,

I’m out in the field under the night sky, notebook in one hand, telescope in the other. It’s late, and I’m running on caffeine and sheer willpower.

I glance up, knowing I’m halfway through tonight’s observation set, and a familiar thought creeps in: “I could just skip the last few measurements. No one would even know.”

But I shake my head and refocus, pushing on. Exhausted, I finally finished the observations. My mind feels like mush, and every cell screams for rest.

That’s scientific grit—pushing through even when every fiber urges you to call it a night.

One of the most significant factors in my success as a scientist has been my willingness to embrace this intellectual “suffering”—not for glory, but for discovery.

What does scientific suffering look like?

For me, it was:

• Having an experiment fail spectacularly, twice, after years of work.

• Living on a shoestring budget next to the Caltrain at Stanford for my first postdoc.

• Getting fired from said postdoc

• Enduring fruitless nights at the observatory with minimal results.

• Presenting controversial findings and weathering relentless peer reviews.

• Having the leadership of the experiment I created stripped away from me at its highest point of imminent success.

Here’s the reality: suffering is inevitable in science. You can’t sidestep it.

The goal is to find research worth suffering for.

For instance, I’m in love with the cosmos—that’s why I’ve spent decades peering into the night, recording tiny data points, and I still do it today.

Is it all thrilling discoveries and eureka moments? Absolutely not.

But I’m a nobody compared to this week’s guest - 2023 Nobel Prize winner Katalin Kariko. What’s that? How could a Nobel Prize winner be an example of suffering. Oh yes. And she taught me that the more you lean into the discomfort that research brings, the closer you’ll get to breakthroughs that matter.

Her story of perseverance in the face of tremendous adversity is a powerful reminder of the importance of scientific grit and embracing intellectual "suffering" for the sake of discovery.

• In 1995, Karikó was demoted at the University of Pennsylvania, losing her position on the path to a professorship due to lack of grant funding for her mRNA research which would lead to her Nobel Prize.

• She often worked for minimal pay, with her husband calculating she was making around $1 per hour due to long hours in the lab.

• Rejection and Skepticism: Karikó and her collaborator, Drew Weissman, faced numerous rejections from scientific journals and grant committees for their mRNA research.

• Personal Sacrifices: She left her home country of Hungary with only $1,246 sewn into her daughter's teddy bear, facing the challenges of starting a new life in a foreign country.

Despite these hardships, Karikó persevered. Her unwavering belief in the potential of mRNA technology ultimately led to breakthroughs that enabled the rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines, saving millions of lives.

Here's what we can learn from her example:

1. Focus on What You Can Change: Karikó advises, “You have to focus on the things you can change.” Instead of dwelling on setbacks, channel your energy into moving forward.

2. Persistence in the Face of Skepticism: Even when others dismissed her ideas, Karikó continued her research. This persistence eventually led to groundbreaking discoveries.

3. Find Your Passion: Karikó’s love for mRNA research kept her through difficult times. Find research you’re passionate about – it will sustain you through the challenges.

4. Embrace Collaboration: Karikó’s chance meeting with Drew Weissman at a photocopier led to a fruitful collaboration. Seek out partnerships that can elevate your work.

Inspired by Karikó's journey, here are ways to cultivate resilience in your scientific career:

• Accept Necessary Struggles: Recognize that some discomfort is essential for growth and discovery.

• Surround Yourself with Supportive Peers: Build a network that challenges and supports you.

• Practice Resilience Daily: Choose voluntary challenges to build your resilience muscle.

• Stay Focused on Your Goals: Keep your long-term objectives in mind when facing short-term difficulties.

The moment you lean into the scientific struggle, you find your “Threshold”—where growth and discovery happen.

So—this week, I’m leaning into collaborative research, challenging methodologies, and rethinking long-held assumptions, despite the hurdles.

What could embracing discomfort look like for you?

It might mean:

• Skipping a weekend outing to run another experiment.

• Saying no to distractions to focus on paper revisions.

Look, I’m no stranger to wanting the easy way out. But here’s what helps me lean in:

1. Accept that some suffering is essential. Suffer in the lab today → Publish groundbreaking work tomorrow.

2. Surround yourself, in person or remotely/through their writing - with people who push your thinking. The ones who challenge your assumptions because they know you can do better.

3. Practice resilience. Could you make discomfort routine?

Choose voluntary struggles, so you’re ready when inevitable ones hit.

Until next time, have a M.A.G.I.C. Week,

Brian

Appearance

​The altar boy who became an orthodox Jewish cosmologist​

Exciting news: I’ll be a guest on the Diary of a CEO Podcast, with Steven Bartlett soon.

Genius

Scientists have discovered that about 70% of meteorites that land on Earth come from three major collisions in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter over the past 40 million years. These collisions created asteroid families named Massalia, Karin, and Koronis, which are the main sources of the most common types of meteorites found on Earth. This finding helps us understand where most meteorites originate and the events that send them our way. 

This is a reminder, if you have a .edu address, to get you meteorite.

Image from Sky & Telescope

Image

This is my 7th cross-country or international trip this year… Chile, Italy, New York, D.C., Hawaii, Miami, Vancouver, D.C. [again], New York again — nearly 120,000 kilometers traveled in one year!

That means my average speed over the year, considering the total distance traveled and the total time available, is approximately 12.63 kilometers per hour, approximately 0.0000012% of the speed of light. At this rate, reaching Proxima Centauri would take approximately 352.6 million years. Science isn’t slow!!

Conversation​

This video features a fascinating conversation with Nobel Laureate Katalin Karikó, the brilliant mind behind the mRNA technology that revolutionized COVID-19 vaccines. Learn about her inspiring journey, the challenges she faced, and her groundbreaking research that has saved countless lives. Get ready to be amazed by her intelligence, resilience, and unwavering dedication to science.

​Click here to watch!

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