Reference no: EM131900141

The history of science and technology has often been depicted as a lonely enterprise: a scientist like Isaac Newton working mostly on his own, shunning social interaction, a recluse in his laboratory. But the example of Watson and Crick's discovery of the structure of DNA suggests that modern science at least is perhaps better pursued by teams working together in laboratories rather than by individuals working in isolation. Do scientists ever work in isolation? And can you offer any examples of group efforts in science prior to the 20th century? Why do you think science and technology have become increasingly dependent on group efforts? In this context, what do you make of the need for secrecy in science and/or technology? It has been argued that openness is an important part of the democracy of science. How did the secrecy of work on the Double Helix hinder the advance of DNA research? Would openness and the sharing of the results of individual research have served to accelerate the discovery of new scientific knowledge, like the structure of the double helix?