Night Science: The Hidden Side of Discovery

When I first started research, I thought science was supposed to be straightforward. You ask a question, design an experiment, and then (if you’re careful) you get an answer. That’s the version of science we’re usually taught in school, and it’s what you mostly see in textbooks and journal articles.

But when I actually got into the lab, I realized something important: discovery doesn’t feel neat at all. It feels messy. You stumble around in the dark, follow hunches that go nowhere, and sometimes the best ideas appear when you aren’t even looking for them.

It turns out, there’s a name for this.

Where “Night Science” Came From

The term night science was first used by François Jacob, a French biologist who shared the Nobel Prize in 1965 for figuring out how genes are regulated. In his book The Statue Within (1988), Jacob explained that science happens in two modes:

• Day science is orderly and logical. It’s the experiments, the graphs, the polished conclusions.
  
  
• Night science is messy and creative. It’s when you’re lost in thought, chasing half-formed ideas, and making connections that don’t fit the rules yet.
  
  

Both are essential. Without night science, there are no new ideas to test. Without day science, those ideas remain just guesses.

How the Idea Was Revived

More recently, scientists Itai Yanai (NYU) and Martin Lercher (University of Düsseldorf) revived Jacob’s concept. They started a project called Night Science—a blog and podcast dedicated to exploring the creative side of science.

Instead of only focusing on the final results, they talk to researchers about the messy middle: the moments of doubt, the wild leaps of imagination, and the trial-and-error that eventually leads to breakthroughs.

Why This Matters for You

As an (MD and PhD) student, it’s easy to think you’re “bad at science” when you feel lost or confused. But honestly, that’s the exact moment you’re doing night science. The confusion is part of the process.

Some of my best ideas have come while walking home from lab, doodling on scrap paper, or even lying awake at night wondering, what if I’m thinking about this the wrong way? That’s night science at work.

And when the idea starts to take shape, that’s when day science comes in—when you can actually design an experiment and see if you’re onto something.

My Advice to You

• Don’t get discouraged by the messy part. That’s where creativity lives.
  
  
• Let your mind wander. Breakthroughs don’t always happen at your desk.
  
  
• Balance is key. Night science gives you ideas, day science helps you prove them.
  
  

If you want to dive deeper, I highly recommend checking out Night Science. The link here has a myriad of papers on the main aspects of the creative scientific process and its thinking tools. Moreover, the website is full of stories and lessons from researchers who’ve lived through both the “day” and the “night” sides of discovery.

In the end, science isn’t just about getting the right answer—it’s about being willing to wrestle with not knowing. That’s what makes it exciting. That’s what makes it worth doing.