• Question: what do you do as a scientist

    Asked by anon-244114 to Pan-ngum, Natalia, Mick, Manjit, Filipe, Bruce on 10 Mar 2020.
    • Photo: Michael Schubert

      Michael Schubert answered on 10 Mar 2020:

      I do a lot of different things. I spend a lot of time reading about science and talking to other scientists and doctors to learn as much as I can. Because science is so big, we all need to work together and talk to each other so that we know everything we need to for our projects. I also spend a lot of time doing experiments – sometimes to test my own ideas, but more often so that I can show other people the cool things I’ve learnt about science. We freeze things in liquid nitrogen, mix chemicals together to make them fizz or change colour, and make sticky slime. You shouldn’t try these things at home, but if you know a scientist, they might be able to help you try some experiments of your own.

      The rest of the time, I either write about science or help other people put realistic science into their books and films and comics. A lot of the articles I write about scientist go into a magazine I run, which other doctors and scientists read to stay on top of all the latest research. It’s fun to have my own magazine, because anytime something interests me, I can learn all about it and then share it with other people – but my favourite part is the illustrations our artists create for the articles!

    • Photo: Natalia Brodaczewska

      Natalia Brodaczewska answered on 10 Mar 2020: last edited 10 Mar 2020 5:29 pm

      Similar to Mick, I do a lot of different things. We set up many different tests in our lab and I have to learn how they work and what might go wrong so that I can solve problems when they happen (and they always do!). We receive samples from the patients which are most often blood or bone marrow – the stuff inside our bones which produces blood cells. We then have to process those samples to extract DNA from them and then set up specific tests that can help us find changes in the DNA from the cancer cells. We use a few different techniques for that but, for most part, the practical side of it is mixing very small amount of liquid in some very little tubes.
      Sometimes we get tissue samples from patients who have tumours in their organs, like lung, skin or bowel. These samples are covered in wax and sliced into very thin slices using a special machine called the microtome. We put these slices on glass slides and look at them under the microscope. Once we looked at them, we can pick out the tumour cells using a needle and take DNA from them to use in other tests.
      But I don’t only sit in the lab and mix things together! I also have to analyse the results and write reports to send to the doctors so that they can make decisions about how to treat the patient. Sometimes I have to make presentations to let my colleagues know what I’ve been up to, go to meetings to discuss any new projects and sometimes I get to go to seminars or conferences where I can learn what other scientists have been working on – in science it is always important to keep learning because things can change very quickly!

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