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Comment by niemandhier | Hacker News Reader

Part of the reason why we slowed down in our progress in science is that we do not take risks like that anymore.

Now the risk takers are at private companies.

Would science have progressed more slowly if they had spent a few hours building a decent rig for that that can't slip like a screwdriver instead of losing a scientist?

Yes, but not in the way you're implying. Safety measures don't exist in a vacuum, they exist in a whole system of other similar safety measures. In aggregate, this system of safety measures does slow science down (or anything else). One might argue that it's worth it to slow down output for the sake of safety, but I don't think one can reasonably argue that output doesn't slow down.

It is possible to construct a system of safety measures so absolute that almost no work can get done, and it is possible (in a sufficiently dangerous field) to be so reckless that injuries to and deaths of would-be contributors stymie progress. Even ignoring the value of avoiding death and injury for its own sake, it is likely that optimal productivity lies somewhere in between.

Looks like you found a new Umeshism [0]. "If you don't lose a few lives to lab accidents, you are not progressing fast enough".

[0]: https://scottaaronson.blog/?p=40

What? We're making incredible progress. mRNA vaccines, CRISPR, access to space research, materials sciences, the upcoming AI-driven research boom. It's crazy out there, and as a bonus, we're not irradiating anyone due to clumsy screwdriver techniques.

Stop paying attention to whatever source is leading you to believe scientific progress has slowed down. They're lying to you.

I am professional scientist. I am not allowed to use certain substances, because exposure is damaging to the unborn child. I am a man. I am not allowed to perform certain procedures, unless I rebuild half the lab. I am not allowed to use lasers you can buy as costumer products in the US and china unless I write a safety manual .

Innovation needs creativity and fast iterations, in our current setup that is incredible hard.

MRNA tech is a good example: It was stuck in limbo for ages due to safety concerns, COVID allowed people to ignore these and push forward.

Costumers need the fancy gear for their mad scientists costumes.

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