--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The practice of good science requires…" description: "\"“The practice of good science requires that when we observe something that doesn’t fit a hypothesis, these observations need to be reckoned with someho..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7a/nina-teicholz-40955_science_the-practice-of-good-science-requires-th_1843848.jpg" --- # The practice of good science requires that when we observe… ![“The practice of good science requires that when we observe something that doesn’t fit a hypothesis, these observations need to be reckoned with somehow.” quote by Nina Teicholz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7a/nina-teicholz-40955_science_the-practice-of-good-science-requires-th_1843848.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7a/nina-teicholz-40955_science_the-practice-of-good-science-requires-th_1843848.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7a/nina-teicholz-40955_science_the-practice-of-good-science-requires-th_1843848.jpg) > ““The practice of good science requires that when we observe something that doesn’t fit a hypothesis, these observations need to be reckoned with somehow.”” [Nina Teicholz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-teicholz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Advocates for integrating anomalous data into scientific hypotheses, stressing the need for flexibility in scientific methodology. **In simple terms:** Science must consider data that challenge hypotheses. Key Takeaway Embrace unexpected findings. Themes science methodology open‑mindedness research integrity Mood analytical cautious Type academic reflective When to use this quote - laboratory research - clinical trials - field studies Key Concepts hypothesis testing data analysis scientific rigor Questions to Reflect On - How can scientists balance skepticism and openness? - What processes ensure anomalous data are evaluated fairly? A Different Perspective May conflict with established theories. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Good science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-science/) [Hypothesis Observations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hypothesis-observations-2371038/) [Observations Need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/observations-need-2371036/) [Requires Observe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/requires-observe-2371037/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Science Requires](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science-requires-331182/) ## Related quotes > [Good science is more than the mechanics of research and experimentation. Good science requires that scientists look inward-to contemplate the origin of their thoughts.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-burton/good-science-is-more-than-the-mechanics-of-research-and/) [Robert A. Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-burton/) > [Science surrounds you. It's not something that you can step aside, step over or push out of your way because you were never good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/science-surrounds-you-it-s-not-something-that-you-can-step-aside-step/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [Debunking bad science should be constant obligation of the science community, even if it takes time away from serious research or seems to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-gardner/debunking-bad-science-should-be-constant-obligation-of-the-science/) [Martin Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-gardner/) > [Science is based on experiment, on a willingness to challenge old dogma, on an openness to see the universe as it really is. Accordingly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/science-is-based-on-experiment-on-a-willingness-to-challenge-old/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [The most exciting science requires the most complex instruments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-barish/the-most-exciting-science-requires-the-most-complex-instruments/) [Barry Barish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-barish/) > [The edifice of science not only requires material, but also a plan. Without the material, the plan alone is but a castle in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dmitri-mendeleev/the-edifice-of-science-not-only-requires-material-but-also-a-plan/) [Dmitri Mendeleev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dmitri-mendeleev/) > [That said, ID does not qualify as science because it gives us nothing to test or measure. Science requires replicable tests involving measurable variables.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-snow/that-said-id-does-not-qualify-as-science-because-it-gives-us-nothing/) [Tony Snow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-snow/) > [Science requires a society because even people who are trying to be good thinkers love their own thoughts and theories - much of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-kay/science-requires-a-society-because-even-people-who-are-trying-to-be/) [Alan Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-kay/) > [Science requires speculation, creativity, and wild ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-fischer/science-requires-speculation-creativity-and-wild-ideas/) [Debra Fischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-fischer/) > [Data science requires having that cultural space to experiment and work on things that might fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mason/data-science-requires-having-that-cultural-space-to-experiment-and/) [Hilary Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mason/) > [Science is an investigation," Coach said, sanding his hands together. "Science requires us to transform into spies." Put that way, science almost sounded fun.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-fitzpatrick/science-is-an-investigation-coach-said-sanding-his-hands-together/) [Becca Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-fitzpatrick/) > [ All science requires mathematics. \[Editors' summary of Bacon's idea, not Bacon's wording.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bacon/all-science-requires-mathematics-editors-summary-of-bacon-s-idea-not/) [Roger Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bacon/) > [“The successful development of science requires a proper balance to be maintained between the method of building up from observations and the method of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-a-m-dirac/the-successful-development-of-science-requires-a-proper-balance-to-be/) [Paul A.M. Dirac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-a-m-dirac/) > [The difference between science and the fuzzy subjects is that science requires reasoning while those other subjects merely require scholarship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/the-difference-between-science-and-the-fuzzy-subjects-is-that-science/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [All science requires mathematics. The knowledge of mathematical things is almost innate in us. This is the easiest of sciences, a fact which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bacon/all-science-requires-mathematics-the-knowledge-of-mathematical-things/) [Roger Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bacon/) ## More by Nina Teicholz > [“For half a century, nutrition experts have been dedicated to the hypothesis that fat, especially saturated fat, causes heart disease (plus obesity and cancer).…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-teicholz/for-half-a-century-nutrition-experts-have-been-dedicated-to-the/) [Nina Teicholz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-teicholz/) > [“From the start, one of the main factors in the discussion of heart disease has been cholesterol, the yellow, waxy substance that is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-teicholz/from-the-start-one-of-the-main-factors-in-the-discussion-of-heart/) [Nina Teicholz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-teicholz/) > [“Since the 1970s, we have successfully increased our fruits and vegetables by 17 percent, our grains by 29 percent, and reduced the amount of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-teicholz/since-the-1970s-we-have-successfully-increased-our-fruits-and/) [Nina Teicholz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-teicholz/) > [“Based on this data, Trichopoulou published a landmark article in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) in 2003, in which she concluded that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-teicholz/based-on-this-data-trichopoulou-published-a-landmark-article-in-the/) [Nina Teicholz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-teicholz/) > [“Giving up animal fats has also meant shifting over to vegetable oils, and over the past century the share of these oils has grown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-teicholz/giving-up-animal-fats-has-also-meant-shifting-over-to-vegetable-oils/) [Nina Teicholz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-teicholz/) > [“Finally, there was the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), a trial that enrolled 49,000 women in 1993 with the expectation that when the results came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-teicholz/finally-there-was-the-women-s-health-initiative-whi-a-trial-that/) [Nina Teicholz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-teicholz/) > [“During these decades, we’ve also seen rates of diabetes rise drastically from less than 1 percent of the adult population to more than 11…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-teicholz/during-these-decades-we-ve-also-seen-rates-of-diabetes-rise/) [Nina Teicholz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-teicholz/) > [“The sum of the evidence against saturated fat over the past half-century amounts to this: the early trials condemning saturated fat were unsound; the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-teicholz/the-sum-of-the-evidence-against-saturated-fat-over-the-past-half/) [Nina Teicholz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-teicholz/) > [“In the end, what we believe to be true—our conventional wisdom—is really nothing more than sixty years of misconceived nutrition research. Before 1961, there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-teicholz/in-the-end-what-we-believe-to-be-true-our-conventional-wisdom-is/) [Nina Teicholz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-teicholz/) [Explore all 10 Nina Teicholz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-teicholz/) ## More Good science quotes > [Science surrounds you. It's not something that you can step aside, step over or push out of your way because you were never good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/science-surrounds-you-it-s-not-something-that-you-can-step-aside-step/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [Debunking bad science should be constant obligation of the science community, even if it takes time away from serious research or seems to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-gardner/debunking-bad-science-should-be-constant-obligation-of-the-science/) [Martin Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-gardner/) > [Every month, the US is spending more on the Iraqi war than it took to reach Saturn and Titan. Mass murder is expensive, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitl-n-r-kiernan/every-month-the-us-is-spending-more-on-the-iraqi-war-than-it-took-to/) [Caitlín R. Kiernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitl-n-r-kiernan/) > [“It is not “scientism” to concede the objectivity and precision of good science, any more than it is history worship to concede that Napoleon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-c-dennett/it-is-not-scientism-to-concede-the-objectivity-and-precision-of-good/) [Daniel C. Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-c-dennett/) > [Good science is all about following the data as it shows up and letting yourself be proven wrong, and letting everything change while you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/good-science-is-all-about-following-the-data-as-it-shows-up-and/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) > [To do good science, you've got to work really, really hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sapolsky/to-do-good-science-you-ve-got-to-work-really-really-hard/) [Robert Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sapolsky/) > [The hallmark of good science is the testing of a plausible hypothesis that is then either supported or rejected by the evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-soon/the-hallmark-of-good-science-is-the-testing-of-a-plausible-hypothesis/) [Willie Soon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-soon/) > [Those who do good science do so because they choose problems that are suited to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/those-who-do-good-science-do-so-because-they-choose-problems-that-are/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [The novels that get praised in the NY Review of Books aren't worth reading. Ninety-seven percent of science fiction is adolescent rubbish, but good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/the-novels-that-get-praised-in-the-ny-review-of-books-aren-t-worth/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) > [I do agree that the science is not settled on this. The idea that we would put American's economy at jeopardy based on scientific…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perry/i-do-agree-that-the-science-is-not-settled-on-this-the-idea-that-we/) [Rick Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perry/) > [Receiving the National Medal of Science is the thrill of a lifetime, but good science does not happen in isolation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-faber/receiving-the-national-medal-of-science-is-the-thrill-of-a-lifetime/) [Sandra Faber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-faber/) > [I do agree that the science is not settled on this. The idea we would put Americans' economy in jeopardy based on scientific theory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perry/i-do-agree-that-the-science-is-not-settled-on-this-the-idea-we-would/) [Rick Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perry/) > [In really, really good science fiction, the line between the science and the fiction is blurry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-lindelof/in-really-really-good-science-fiction-the-line-between-the-science/) [Damon Lindelof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-lindelof/) > [Good science requires distinguishing between "felt knowledge" and knowledge arising out of testable observations. "I am sure" is a mental sensation, not a testable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-burton/good-science-requires-distinguishing-between-felt-knowledge-and/) [Robert A. Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-burton/) > [Given the power and influence that science increasingly has in our daily lives, it is important that we as citizens of an open and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/massimo-pigliucci/given-the-power-and-influence-that-science-increasingly-has-in-our/) [Massimo Pigliucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/massimo-pigliucci/) [Browse all 69 Good science quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-science/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The practice of good science requires that when we observe something that doesn’t fit a hypothesis, these observations need to be reckoned with somehow.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nina Teicholz" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-teicholz/the-practice-of-good-science-requires-that-when-we-observe-something/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Good science" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-teicholz/the-practice-of-good-science-requires-that-when-we-observe-something/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7a/nina-teicholz-40955_science_the-practice-of-good-science-requires-th_1843848.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7a/nina-teicholz-40955_science_the-practice-of-good-science-requires-th_1843848.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7a/nina-teicholz-40955_science_the-practice-of-good-science-requires-th_1843848.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The practice of good science requires that when we observe something that doesn’t fit a hypothesis, these…” — Nina Teicholz", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Nina Teicholz", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-teicholz/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The practice of good science requires...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-teicholz/the-practice-of-good-science-requires-that-when-we-observe-something/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-teicholz/the-practice-of-good-science-requires-that-when-we-observe-something/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```