It is common, and encouraged by many journals, for research to be judged by the impact factor of the journal that publishes it. But as a journal's score is an average, it says little about the quality of any individual piece of research.

The prevailing structures of personal reputation and career advancement mean the biggest rewards often follow the flashiest work, not the best.

Everything I did in high school was focused on microbiology, looking at things like algae under a microscope for hours on end. When I was 13, I saved up $100 to buy a good used microscope. I was obsessed with microorganisms.

Our cells engage in protein production, and many of those proteins are enzymes responsible for the chemistry of life.