Michael Nielsen: Open science now!
A physicist turned writer, Michael Nielsen believes online communication and collaboration tools are revolutionizing the way we make scientific discoveries. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
for coming along today.
我想要說個故事,
but does not end,
renowned mathematicians.
最知名的數學家之一。
of mathematics.
數學界的諾貝爾獎。
to pose a very striking question:
mathematics possible?
unsolved mathematical problem --
尚未解開的困難數學問題——
he would "love to solve" --
這個問題——
and his partial progress.
他的想法和他的部分進展。
that they had an idea to contribute
只要自認有想法可以貢獻,
in the comment section of the blog.
寫在部落格的留言區。
the ideas of many minds,
有才智的人的想法,
of his hard mathematical problem.
比較容易解開。
the Polymath Project.
「多工數學計畫」。
got off to a slow start.
進行得很緩慢。
nobody posted any comments.
from the University of British Columbia
because a few minutes later,
因為幾分鐘之後,
Jason Dyer posted a suggestion.
張貼了一個建議。
Terence Tao, also a Fields medalist,
也是菲爾茲獎的得主,
to move quickly at this point.
動起來了,且步調很快。
800 substantive comments
800 則很實在的留言,
but I was following along closely
但我打從一開始就在密切追蹤,
would be tentatively proposed
by other people and improved,
繼續發展和改進,
"as driving is to pushing a car."
「就像開車之於推車」。
that they had solved the core problem;
他們已經解決了核心問題;
generalization of the problem.
更困難的概括問題。
suggests, at least to me,
至少對我而言,
the internet to build tools
intellectual problems.
our collective intelligence
用它們來放大我們的集體智慧。
we've used physical tools
我們都在用實體的工具
or what I'd like to explore today,
或是說今天我想要探究的,
a single mathematical problem.
解決了一個數學問題。
of scientific problems
in the rate of scientific discovery.
就是科學發現的速度加快了。
we construct knowledge itself.
知識本身的方式改變了。
變得太興奮之前,
about some of the challenges,
一些挑戰,一些問題。
a failure of this approach.
這個方法的一個不足之處。
或是說始於 2005 年。
John Stockton had a very good idea
was going to be a great repository
on general knowledge,
specialist knowledge in quantum computing.
a supertextbook for the field,
該領域的超級教科書,
all the latest research,
in the field were,
開放問題有哪些、
about how to solve the problems,
that it would be written by the users,
也打算要讓使用者來編寫,
in quantum computing.
就是量子計算專家,
in 2005, when it was announced.
大會,這個想法就是那時宣佈的。
were very skeptical,
抱持相當的懷疑,
were very excited by the idea.
對這個點子感到很興奮。
of initial seed material
素材量讓他們印象深刻,
對這個遠景感到很興奮。
they were excited by the vision.
to take the time themselves to contribute.
會想要花時間來貢獻。
in contributing.
except in a few small corners,
它基本上已經不活動了。
this is quite a common story.
from genetics to string theory,
各種領域,都有許多科學
along very similar lines.
建造科學維基。
for essentially the same reason.
social networks for scientists,
為科學家創建社交網路,
to other people with similar interests.
興趣的人連結在一起。
資料、程式碼、想法等等東西。
or code, their ideas and so on.
that they're essentially empty.
它們基本上是空的。
What's the problem here?
大有可為的網站失敗了?
an ambitious young scientist.
很有野心的年輕科學家。
are ambitious young scientists.
有一些很有野心的年輕科學家。
an ambitious young scientist.
很有野心的年輕科學家。
a permanent job, a good job --
長久的工作,好的工作——
to get such jobs.
工作,競爭很激烈。
highly qualified applicants for positions.
來申請應徵工作。
60, 70, 80 hours a week,
要工作 60、70、80 個小時,
will get you such a job,
is a wonderful idea in principle,
量子維基是個很棒的點子,
a single mediocre paper
and your job prospects
會有更多的好處,
contributions to such a site.
做出一連串傑出的貢獻。
science more quickly,
幫助科學快速進步,
as being part of your job.
成為你工作的一部分。
in this kind of environment
唯一能夠成功的,
an unconventional means to an end,
方法來達到目的,
conservatism about them.
還是有保守傾向。
was still a scientific paper.
仍然是一篇科學論文。
but conventional ends.
但目的還是常規的。
conservatism about it.
the Polymath Project is terrific,
多工數學計畫非常棒,
can only use tools
conservative nature.
about an instance
from this conservatism.
the conservatism has been broken.
故事是很稀有的。
when, as you know,
large amounts of genetic data
聚集大量的基因資料,
to upload that data
with other people around the world
is the site GenBank,
大概就是 GenBank,
have heard of or used.
that scientists -- they're not paid
問題,科學家——
得到報酬或獎賞。
to actually upload the data.
不情願上傳資料。
that this was silly --
was the right thing to do.
were actually doing it.
in Bermuda in 1996
在百慕達招開了一場會議,
molecular biologists.
領導級的分子生物學家。
the problem for several days,
坐下來討論這個問題,
called the Bermuda Principles,
所稱的「百慕達原則」,
is taken in the lab,
取得了人類基因資料,
would be in the public domain.
scientific grant agencies --
機構採用它們——
the UK Wellcome Trust --
英國惠康基金會——
who wanted to work on the human genome,
你想要研究人類基因組,
by these principles.
to say, as a result,
and download the human genome.
都可以——下載人類基因組。
is just a tiny, tiny fraction
that is still locked up.
on the genome of an entire species
一整個物種的基因組,
hoard their data.
是個常見慣例。
that they write
potentially, to other people.
是很有用的。
the descriptions of the problems
in the Open Science movement
運動的其他人
the culture of science
much more strongly motivated
different kinds of knowledge.
of individual scientists
個別科學家的價值觀,
as part of their job
認為他們的工作也包括了
to be sharing their code,
分享他們的程式碼、
and their problems.
以及他們的問題。
this kind of change in values,
individual scientists rewarded
開始見到個別的科學家
of entire large parts of science.
科學很大部分的文化。
before once in history,
up at the sky towards Saturn,
對準了天空上的土星,
沒有,他沒那麼做。
in the description into an anagram,
各字母順序打亂成亂碼,
to several of his astronomer rivals.
數個他的天文學家勁敵。
if they later make the same discovery,
and get the credit,
亂碼描述一事,搶回功勞,
any knowledge at all.
沒有放棄任何知識。
not uncommon at the time:
在當時他這麼做並不罕見:
they all used similar devices.
他們都使用類似的手段。
for 150 years by this time.
問世 150 年之久了。
in the 17th and 18th centuries
that when a scientist made a discovery,
有了新發現,可以預期
把新發現公佈出來。
has happened. It's terrific.
to share our knowledge in new ways
新的方式來分享我們的知識,
to solve problems in entirely new ways.
open science revolution.
第二次的開放科學革命。
should be open science.
都應該是開放科學。
many of you are not scientists,
我知道在座許多人不是科學家,
那麼,有些事是你可以做的。
in an open science project,
fraction of your time.
your knowledge in new ways,
分享你的知識,
to build on that knowledge.
再做進一步發揮。
you may wish to experiment
as the Polymath Project did.
is be very generous in giving credit
要很大方把功勞給予
who are practicing science in the open
the sharing of data, the blogging,
分享資料、寫網誌,
colleagues in conversation
of these new ways of working,
to do these things,
the culture of science can be changed.
科學的文化才可能改變。
important thing that we can do
amongst the population
and of its critical importance.
以及它有多麼重要。
will inevitably find --
by the population at large
and acquaintances who are scientists
朋友或相識者聊聊,
來協助更公開的研究。
what are they doing to work more openly.
and your personal power
想像力和個人力量,
更意識到這個議題。
not just what scientists do
改變科學家的做法,
and what governments do.
are we going to expect
as we have done in the past?
for solving problems
in the process of science,
embrace open science
this opportunity that we have
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Michael Nielsen - PhysicistA physicist turned writer, Michael Nielsen believes online communication and collaboration tools are revolutionizing the way we make scientific discoveries.
Why you should listen
A Fulbright scholar, Michael Nielsen not only made significant research contributions in the field of quantum physics, but also co-wrote the popular Quantum Computation and Quantum Information. He left academia to focus his research on “open science,” and recently published Reinventing Discovery: The New Era of Networked Science -- a book that discusses the Internet’s ability to “amplify our collective intelligence” and the cultural obstacles of the scientific community impeding this dramatic shift.
Michael Nielsen | Speaker | TED.com