Message from the Editor-in-Chief

Do Passion and Science Really Make Strange Bedfellows?

By Bryan Haycock, Editor-in-Chief
Originally posted 11/17/2001 in the Think Muscle Newsletter

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Why is it that passion cannot be the driving force behind scientific inquiry?  In Hollywood, the combination of passion and science has lead to marvelous feats of accomplishment.  Stories such as The Fly, The Island of Dr. Moreau, and Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein are all stories of science driven by passion.  Take for example Dr. Frankenstein’s monster, er…huh, “project”.  I can still remember the first time I saw the monster come to life on the small screen.  In a castle-like setting with the scientist, eyes wide with fervor, running around flipping switches and checking instruments.  His tone was most enthusiastic as he barked commands to his loyal lab tech, Igor. With flashes of lightning cracking through the open ceiling and startling booms of thunder adding to the moment, Dr. Frankenstein realized his passion and brought his creation to life. “It’s alive! It’s alive!”, he shouted, trembling with the exhilaration of accomplishing a dream. Of course in the real world, much like the movie, his peers frowned upon such passion. They failed to understand the source of his commitment. They felt his zeal clouded his judgment and introduced inexcusable bias (and yes, evil) into his research. Why? Because they had never experienced such a powerful driving force them selves. Then again, it could have been because he created a freak of nature that went on to terrorize all but innocent children and those blind to his appearance.

Scientific inquiry is traditionally wrought with conservatism. This is rightfully so. Without a conservative approach to science we run the risk of acting hastily on false assumptions. Because not all people can be trusted, including scientists, you also run the risk of being duped by con artists. History tells us that a snake in a white lab coat is often difficult to spot. Partial truths and misrepresentation of data are the tools of dishonest researchers with ulterior motives. With such a need for conservatism in science, is their room for passion?

Passion can fuel scientific inquiry as long as the passion is for discovery not money. It was just the other day I was asked about the claim that honey was better than maltodextrin in a post workout protein drink. I guess people were on the news groups and bulletin boards arguing about it. Those who were saying honey was a better carb source cited a recent article in a respected scientific journal that demonstrated honey to be the best carb source for a post-workout protein drink. What they weren’t sharing was the fact that this study was the second of a series of studies funded by the National Honey Board at the University of Memphis Exercise and Sport Nutrition Laboratory. Located in Longmont, Colorado, the National Honey Board is a non-profit organization that develops research and consumer information programs to increase the demand for honey. So, the research was designed from the outset to increase the demand for honey. This is passion in science. Unfortunately it is a passion for money that is fueling the science, not a passion for understanding.

Anytime there is money riding on the outcome of some line of scientific inquiry, the results must be thoroughly evaluated for bias. This is true for research done by powerful drug companies all the way down to fly-by-night supplement companies. At the same time, there are those people, all over the world, whose lives revolve around their research. Many of who spend every waking hour pondering obscure questions and ways to find the answers. These are they who lie awake at night, trying to think of new ways to test and measure. Not because they think they are going to get rich, but because the already feel rich having been given the opportunity to do what they love to do in life. We at Think Muscle share their passion for science, and your passion for health, fitness, and muscle. We feel it our privilege to bring much of this research to you with the goal to help sift through the bias, anywhere it may exist, to arrive at the truth.