By Andrew Akbashev

You don’t have to be “brainy” to be a scientist. Some quotes from the book by Peter Medawar, a biologist and a Nobel laureate. (+ my comments)

1. “…one does not need to be terrifically brainy to be a good scientist…there is nothing in experimental science that calls for great feats of ratiocination or a preternatural gift for deductive reasoning” – There is a perception that science is for super-smart people. This is certainly not true. Many brilliant works and discoveries required persistence, basic understanding and risk taking, NOT huge smartness. A scientist should NOT know in advance what to expect in a study.

2. “As there is no knowing in advance where a research enterprise may lead and what kind of skills it will require as it unfolds, this process of ‘equipping oneself’ has no predeterminable limits and is bad psychological policy” – In other words: Stop perfecting your technical skills and learning extra skills without having a particular problem to solve. The problem should dictate the techniques and skills. Learn as you go!

3. “Too much book learning may crab and confine the imagination, and endless poring over the research of others is sometimes psychologically a research substitute, much as reading romantic fiction may be a substitute for real-life romance….The beginner must read, but intently and choosily and not too much.” – This is something that I keep repeating to others myself. The more you read, the more confined your thinking becomes. You may develop intuition and become a very knowledgable person, but then your chances of getting “out of the box” and starting risky research endeavors become smaller.

4. “Scientific collaboration is not at all like cooks elbowing each other from the pot of broth; nor is it like artists working on the same canvas, or engineers working out how to start a tunnel simultaneously from both sides of a mountain in such a way that the contractors do not miss each other in the middle and emerge independently at opposite ends.” – Collaboration is about brainstorming ideas and helping each other get outside the box and find a new solution to a problem. Collaboration is NOT about publishing more papers and improving your “academic throughput”.

5. “A scientist will normally have contractual obligations to his employer and has always a special and unconditionally binding obligation to the truth.” – Science implies commitment to seeking the truth. And NOT to multiplying the number of papers, winning lots of awards, or doing meaningless research.

6. “I cannot give any scientist of any age better advice than this: the intensity of the conviction that a hypothesis is true has no bearing of whether it is true or not.” – Essentially, if you are convinced your hypothesis is true, it does NOT mean it is true. 📍 In a nutshell: Don’t be afraid. Dive into research. Be somewhat amateurish. Brainstorm. Be risky. Seek the truth, not numbers.

30 January 2025

A LinkedIn post by Leon Sandner

After 4 months in Silicon Valley, I realized something:
We’re taking Europe for granted.

Everyone’s talking about Europe’s decline.

But I’ve noticed a pattern talking to European founders in SF: most of them see the US as a chapter, not the whole story. They want to “make it” there, learn from the best, but ultimately return to Europe.

And it makes sense.

In Europe:

our cities are built for humans, not just cars. Getting around on foot or by bike is the norm, not an act of rebellion.

the buildings here don’t feel like they were assembled with popsicle sticks. (Sleeping without 3 hoodies, thanks to proper insulation, is nice too.)

you can actually trust the quality of your food. And real bread! Not that spongy white stuff pretending to be bread.

the stark contrast between extreme wealth and poverty isn’t burning your eyes at every corner. You know you have a social system that catches you when you fall.

there’s a different rhythm to relationships: less about where the connection might lead, more about enjoying where it is right now. People connect over shared moments and genuine conversations, not just potential opportunities and status.

public discourse still has a foundation of shared reality. News isn’t entertainment, “facts” aren’t tribal identities, and most people still live in the same world – even if they see it differently.

You can’t sustainably build the future while sacrificing many things that make life worth living.

Yes, Europe isn’t perfect. We have our issues.
We’re often too risk-averse, too comfortable, too stuck in our ways.

But we already have the foundation most places dream of:

• Exceptional quality of life
• Robust infrastructure
• Strong social fabric
• Cultural depth

Now imagine combining this with:

a bolder mindset
We need to dream bigger and build with more conviction. It’s time to shed our risk-averse culture and embrace ambitious moonshots.

concentrated innovation hubs
Stop spreading resources thin across countless “innovation centers.” We need 3-4 dense, powerful ecosystems where talent, capital, and ambition collide – not 100 mediocre ones.

streamlined governance
Not just less bureaucracy, but smarter less fragmented regulation that enables innovation while preserving what makes Europe great.

We don’t need to abandon Europe to build great things.
We need to build great things to make Europe even greater.