Eureka! A scientist does not only dig a well with a needle...

Eureka! A scientist does not dig a well with just a needle...

Schoolchildren wearing special gloves and protective goggles mix two different liquids and... BOOM! Instantly, a colorful foam fountain erupts from the glass containers on the laboratory table. The children clap their hands in wonder and joy. This scene on the screen is taken from one of the popular Western children's science shows. It is as if this show wants to demonstrate that the path of science consists not only of thick books and boring formulas, but also of action, discovery, and, most importantly, pleasure.

Since childhood, we grew up hearing one saying: "Acquiring knowledge is like digging a well with a needle." Interviews with scientists, shows they participated in, and the introductions of radio broadcasts always started with the phrase "being a scientist is like digging a well with a needle." Even in meetings with people who chose the path of science, the scientist's journey through this arduous and difficult path was described so dramatically that instead of admiration, you felt pity for them, as if looking at someone who suffered from hard labor and torment. Although this phrase signifies patience and endurance, it must be admitted that for modern youth, it sounds a bit terrifying and boring. Imagine: a person digging hard ground with a small needle in hand, a dusty room, a scientist with thick glasses, untidy clothes, and disconnected from the world. Although this image recalls a hero who sacrificed himself for the future, it does not attract today's youth. It is natural that such a scene arouses not enthusiasm, but fatigue, fear, and boredom in a young soul who wants to choose the path of science. As a result, many talented young men and women, understanding science only as "sacrificing one's life," retreat from this path. They choose a few seconds of virtual life on a phone screen and quick pleasure over searching through books for hours in libraries.

An attractive interpretation of hardship...

In the Western education system and media, science is not viewed as a heavy obligation. There, starting from childhood, instead of the fear of "digging a well with a needle," a passion for understanding and influencing the environment is instilled. Also, in Western countries, the popularization of science (Science Communication) is highly developed. There are many programs filmed for television and social networks that explain complex scientific topics with simple, humorous, and visual effects. Well-known scientists and Nobel Prize winners guest-star on celebrity shows, and their appearances are watched millions of times, just like those of famous actors or singers. This removes the image of a scientist from being a "librarian" buried in books in the minds of young people and turns it into the most prestigious, modern, and attractive profession.

The practical manifestation of such an approach can also be seen in educational institutions.

For example, in famous centers like the "Exploratorium" in San Francisco, you will not find the sign "Please do not touch the exhibits!" at all. On the contrary, there it is required to touch every device, press buttons, and test the laws of physics or chemistry through personal experience. Children understand processes ranging from the laws of the universe to natural phenomena by playing with them like toys.

At the same time, "Citizen Science" projects involve every member of society, including school students, in major scientific processes. For example, NASA or large universities allow ordinary people to search for new stars in space images, observe bird migration in their areas, and enter their observations regarding solar panels, local plants, trees, and dialects into databases. An ordinary school student can become a co-author of a real scientific article through the data they found. Such practices prove to young people that science is not a profession to be pursued only after obtaining titles over many years, but a tool to benefit society and make history today.

Historical "Eureka!" moments

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If we look at history, we see that at the heart of the greatest discoveries lies not only relentless work, but also those famous "Eureka" moments of joy. Many know Archimedes only as the scientist who discovered a law of physics. But his running out into the street from the bath crying "Eureka!" (I found it!) is not just a historical story, but an intellectual explosion at the moment when the solution to a complex problem—namely, measuring the volume of the king's crown and determining its purity—suddenly came to mind. The scientist was so filled with joy that he went out into the street without clothes, forgetting even social norms. This was the reward of incomparable pleasure that comes after the "digging with a needle" stage of being a scientist.

The physicist Albert Einstein also felt the pleasure of science better than anyone. As a twenty-nine-year-old young man, in 1907, while sitting in the patent office in Bern, a thought came to his mind: "If a person falls freely, he will not feel his own weight." Later, he called this moment "the happiest thought in my life." What deserves special attention here is that the scientist feels not like a suffering martyr of science, but like "the happiest person" solving the mysteries of the universe. This thought later became the basis for the famous "General Theory of Relativity." For Einstein, science was an aesthetic pleasure derived from understanding the beauty of the world through logic.

If being a scientist were only "digging a well with a needle," Einstein would not have called this the happiest moment in his life.

An "intellectual feast" for the brain

So, why does the "Eureka!" moment, the feeling of creating something new and finding answers to questions through science, bring us such great joy? Can this be called just a simple emotion, or is it a specific biochemical process that occurs in our brain? Psychologists and neurobiologists have studied this phenomenon deeply and come to very interesting scientific conclusions.

Neurobiologists have found that at the second a person finds the solution to a complex puzzle, a huge burst of powerful dopamine occurs in the brain's internal system. Dopamine is the hormone of pleasure, motivation, and satisfaction, and lately, psychologists have also been talking repeatedly about the importance of this substance. Dopamine does not appear only when a person wears new clothes, goes on a trip, or eats delicious food. Research shows that during the acquisition of new knowledge or making a discovery, the brain enjoys itself just like a person eating sweets or listening to their favorite music. Therefore, being a scientist is the highest "intellectual feast" given for human intellect.

The physiological basis of this moment is also very amazing. When neurophysiologists observed the "Eureka" moment through an EEG (electroencephalogram) device, they found that high-frequency gamma waves become active in the right hemisphere of the brain one second before the solution is found. Such a sudden connection between distant, unrelated points of the brain can be compared to a bridge. That is, the chain of information that was "dug with a needle" and lay scattered unites, presenting a complete, beautiful picture in one second.

Experts also call consistent engagement in science a state of "Flow." In this unique mental state, the scientist completely forgets time and space, fatigue is not felt, because the process being performed itself becomes the main goal and source of happiness for the person. In such a situation, "digging a well with a needle" is perceived not as painful and boring labor, but as an opportunity to show high skill.

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The "pleasure" that comes from scientific research is a unique gift given by nature to humanity. The human brain rewards every discovery with the sweetest pleasure to urge the scientist to search and create. For a young scientist who has felt this high pleasure at least once in their life, science will never again seem like "scary and boring labor."

For today's youth, science should not remain just a school of patience and endurance. Being a scientist is an intellectual drive, courage, and an opportunity to change the world for modern youth. Future scientists are not awaited only by daily hardships ahead. They are awaited by the excitement of being the first to see a truth that no one has understood yet, and the pleasure of discovering the limitless possibilities of their own brain. Believe me, creating something new, even if small, and acquiring knowledge are unique "Eureka!" moments that will adorn every person's life forever.