10-Year-Old Accidentally Discovers New Explosive Molecule

[Trippy Turtle]

Oh sure... I blow stuff up in science and I get in trouble for it. She creates an entire new way to blow shit up and she gets a book about it. Life isn't fair. D:

 

[SuperTrainStationH]

...What makes children immune to criticism...

Nothing makes children immune to criticism.

The thing is, the child in this story did absolutely nothing that warrants criticism.

Seriously, what is there to criticize in this little girl? Would you go sit her in the corner and admonish her for having an age appropriate interest in chemistry and asking an instructor if the molecule she made up might actually exist?

The story headline is "10 Year Old Accidentally Discovers New Explosive Molecule".

The story itself explains nothing more or less than exactly that.

It's not giving the kid any undue credit, claiming them to be a genius or anything of the sort.

Meanwhile, you've gone a great deal out of your way to express your displeasure over this story and displeasure that others are considering this in an amusing or positive light.

You're entitled to your opinion of course, but compared to the completely benign nature of the story, your initial response came off as irrationally volatile.

 

[dubious_wolf]

So did the child just put together a model for the craic or did she intentionally put it together with full knowledge of what she is doing.

If it's the former then I really don't care. If it's the latter then "Good for you".

EDIT I was right

"But that?s what happened when Clara Lazen, 10, randomly arranged a unique combination of oxygen, nitrogen and carbon atoms."

http://now.humboldt.edu/news/not-your-average-fifth-grade-assignment/

Randomly

It was pure chance and she isn't going to be the one researching its uses so well done little girl, you discovered something by accident and will have no involvement in making it useful.

You do realize many of the world changing scientific discoveries were accidental. Right?
You don't have to be a dick about it. At least the 5th graders are more interested in science now. Who knows maybe one of those kids will grow up and perfect fusion reactors, thus making space travel that much more feasible.

 

[Mr Companion]

She may just be set for life depending on how usefull this new molecule is.

Exactly where are her thousands and thousands of dollars?!

 

[dubious_wolf]

yeah saw that...
Dude the girl is ten. Professor Robert Zoellner and peers will be doing the heavy lifting on the R&D. It's still an accidental discovery.

It's a heart warming story about the youth of our country getting interested in science in a time when the United State's position in the world as a leader of scientific innovation is slipping. You are a troll.

Once again, she said "Is this real?" and that's heart warming. Really?.

Ah, calling me a troll when my opinion clashes with yours, stay classy. Notice how I haven't thrown insults but many of the users here including yourself have and you claim I'm the bad guy here?

Does it bother you that much that I'm not impressed by an accident that you have to insult a person stating an opinion?

People keep bringing up the fact she is a child, that's great but it doesn't give her a free pass in my eyes. If she is so interested in science as people here say then there plenty of chances for her to do impressive work in the future and if she does do something impressive then I'll have no issue praising her for it then but what she did here isn't very amazing in my eyes and thus I won't praise her.

Your antipathy is bested only by your callousness. I'm impressed, truly.

 

[dubious_wolf]

I'm also impressed you've bothered to defend your position for the last 10 hours. Good going guy. After all most people would get tired and move on. But not you, you charismatic stallion.

Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to go enjoy my HD Escapist videos. Because I have the social tact required to hold a job and contribute to The Escapist.

 

[Malignanttoe]

Boom goes the tetranitratoxycarbon.

 

[Henrik Moeller]

It's estimated that there are 10^60 thermodynamically stable compounds. It's hardly a feat to find one.

 

[UnderGlass]

So did the child just put together a model for the craic or did she intentionally put it together with full knowledge of what she is doing.

If it's the former then I really don't care. If it's the latter then "Good for you".

Bit harsh. In the world of real growny-uppy scientists things get discovered accidentally all the time.

Snip

So this is where the Grinch comes after stealing Christmas from some Albanian orphans

That made my day. Never laughed harder on this board. thank you sir, I applaud you.

A pleasure to be of sevice

 

[oktalist]

"But that?s what happened when Clara Lazen, 10, randomly arranged a unique combination of oxygen, nitrogen and carbon atoms."

http://now.humboldt.edu/news/not-your-average-fifth-grade-assignment/

Ok guys seriously. It's cool that a little kid discovered this, but it's unremarkable because it was totally random. The fact that she discovered it is not indicative of her intelligence because it was at random.

Your point is based on the assumption that a faculty press communications writer understands the technical meaning of the word "random" and is using it as such.

It's much more likely that the kid put together the model with a basic understanding of the valencies of the atoms she was working with. The only random aspect of it was that the molecule she built happened to be previously unknown to science. And I don't think you can fault her for that.

It's a very cool achievement for a ten year old, as demonstrated by the fact that no scientist had ever thought to arrange those atoms in that way.

 

[Scarim Coral]

Goes to show that there are still some new discovery left in this world that is not discovering a new animal species (it's still awesome but there had been more than one discovery now).
While that is awesome but I would think we may fear it in the future (the horror). Good thing this was discovered in theory unlike the discovery of gunpowder.

 

[Waaghpowa]

It's much more likely that the kid put together the model with a basic understanding of the valencies of the atoms she was working with. The only random aspect of it was that the molecule she built happened to be previously unknown to science. And I don't think you can fault her for that.

Unless it's proven that she was some sort of super genius, my assumption is that she simply won the lottery. An ordinary 10 year old miraculously discovers a new molecule? Sure it's an impressive accomplishment, but I'm not going to sit here and praise her superior intelligence that has yet to be determined. Unless proven otherwise, she lucked out.

It's possible that no scientist thought of such a thing simply because some people are trained to have a certain thought process. It's possible they didn't consider it because there was no logical reason to consider it. Then a little girl comes along, puts something together at random, and now they notice "hey, this is interesting!". Neither is indicative of intelligence or lack there of.

Edit: said atom when I meant molecule

 

[CrazyGirl17]

Wow... talk about lucky.

Maybe I gotta try the "do something random" thing and see if I accidentally discover something new... just saying.

 

[nathan-dts]

So did the child just put together a model for the craic or did she intentionally put it together with full knowledge of what she is doing.

If it's the former then I really don't care. If it's the latter then "Good for you".

EDIT I was right

"But that?s what happened when Clara Lazen, 10, randomly arranged a unique combination of oxygen, nitrogen and carbon atoms."

http://now.humboldt.edu/news/not-your-average-fifth-grade-assignment/

Randomly

It was pure chance and she isn't going to be the one researching its uses so well done little girl, you discovered something by accident and will have no involvement in making it useful.

Many things are discovered accidentally. Microwaves, Penicillin. Columbus fucked up finding India too, doesn't mean the achievement shouldn't be praised.

 

[SnakeoilSage]

Quick! What's that's child's political affiliation and was she raised Catholic?! This is an election year!

*Laughs* Seriously though, children are proving more and more intelligent every generation. They have to... it's the only way all our mistakes will get fixed.

 

[whiteshark12]

Damn, why are you guys still pissing on Mattew94? All he did was tell the people who seemed to think that this child is albert einstein reborn that she put together coloured balls on a stick and the teacher thought it might be a feasible compound. She did no chemistry or science, she made a sculpture and the teacher thought it might work. Not to say that she shouldn't have any mention ever, but she has shown no scientific ability by doing this.

 

[Torrasque]

Just goes to prove that nonsense to you may be pretty damn sweet to someone else.

 

[superbatranger]

He had the intelligence to actually use his discovery unlike this person.

She's 10.

Beethoven may have been publishing his sonatas around that age, but he wasn't taking them to the publishers himself.

And he understood that music theory, she just put molecules together randomly.

If you had 1000 monkeys on 1000 typewriters writing forever you eventually get the best novel of all time.

Does that make the monkey a literary genius or is just the result of probability taking it's course? No it is the latter and thus the monkey shouldn't be praised and neither should she.

Don't ever compare her to Beethoven.

Oh please, don't use the "monkeys type Shakespeare plays" spiel. That is just overused. For shame.

 

[TheMadDoctorsCat]

Meh, if the story with the headline "10-Year Old Accidentally Discovers New Explosive Molecule" doesn't end in said 10-Year Old's face being blackened, her hair singed and her eyebrows burnt right off, it ain't worth it.

Good for her and the teacher though.

 

[Ghengis John]

What makes children immune to criticism and also what makes the act of said criticism indicative of a mental disorder?

Much as I would love to reply completely honestly it seems I've been put on probation... resetting my offense clock which hadn't ticked in about 8 months. So let's not go for broke shall we? Not worth it. I could appeal but the moderators are all chummy so it's unlikely it would prove fruitful. I would hasten to add however, that the comment was a humorous attempt to end the bickering in the thread, which someone has misinterpreted. I actually felt all the attacks had run their course.

I shall answer your question however with questions of my own. So you admit you are criticizing the child. What action do you have to criticize the child for? Who said anything about a mental disorder?

Who knows maybe they will become a serial killer?

Does that look like the argument a logical man would make? Don't be silly.