• Question: What is your greatest discovery so far?

    Asked by 02salvadord to Ian, Lewis on 11 Mar 2014. This question was also asked by godlykswaggerman.
    • Photo: Lewis Dean

      Lewis Dean answered on 11 Mar 2014:

      The main project that I did from 2007 to 2010 (during my research for my PhD) looked at how and why humans (children) can solve more complicated puzzles, but chimpanzees and capuchin monkeys (and other primates) can’t. We already knew that there was a difference, but we wanted to work out why there was a difference. Lots of people had an idea about why there was a difference, but no one had tested those ideas. So that’s what we did.

      Our research showed humans did better at these puzzles because we share more, teach one another and use language. When we had done the research we wrote it up and it was published in a magazine called ‘Science’. Science is read by a lot of people (well, a lot of scientists), so we got lots of questions and comments about the work. It really felt like we had made a difference (in a small way!).

    • Photo: Ian Hands-Portman

      Ian Hands-Portman answered on 11 Mar 2014:

      I don’t really do ‘Great’ – most of science is small advances, tiny steps that other people can build on.

      I have discovered new families of viruses though – in deep sea black smokers – that’s the one I’m most proud of. You can’t read about it yet though because the work is still waiting to be published – it has to be read and judged by other scientists before it’s allowed into print. It’s not actually of that much use but knowing they are there improves our knowledge just a little bit and any improvement is worthwhile.

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