Biomaterial Database

Mental inertia in the biological sciences. 2010

Alexander M Shneider

Cure Lab, Inc., 43 Rybury Hillway, Needham, MA 02492, USA. ashneider@curelab.com

Often, new discoveries are not made at the moment when all of the necessary techniques and background knowledge become available. Instead, they are delayed as a result of mental inertia unrecognized by the scientist and/or the scientific community. In this paper, I introduce and classify various types of mental inertia that are common in science, using examples from the field of biology.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D012106	Research	Critical and exhaustive investigation or experimentation, having for its aim the discovery of new facts and their correct interpretation, the revision of accepted conclusions, theories, or laws in the light of newly discovered facts, or the practical application of such new or revised conclusions, theories, or laws. (Webster, 3d ed)	Research Priorities,Laboratory Research,Research Activities,Research and Development,Activities, Research,Activity, Research,Development and Research,Priorities, Research,Priority, Research,Research Activity,Research Priority,Research, Laboratory
D012107	Research Design	A plan for collecting and utilizing data so that desired information can be obtained with sufficient precision or so that an hypothesis can be tested properly.	Experimental Design,Data Adjustment,Data Reporting,Design, Experimental,Designs, Experimental,Error Sources,Experimental Designs,Matched Groups,Methodology, Research,Problem Formulation,Research Methodology,Research Proposal,Research Strategy,Research Technics,Research Techniques,Scoring Methods,Adjustment, Data,Adjustments, Data,Data Adjustments,Design, Research,Designs, Research,Error Source,Formulation, Problem,Formulations, Problem,Group, Matched,Groups, Matched,Matched Group,Method, Scoring,Methods, Scoring,Problem Formulations,Proposal, Research,Proposals, Research,Reporting, Data,Research Designs,Research Proposals,Research Strategies,Research Technic,Research Technique,Scoring Method,Source, Error,Sources, Error,Strategies, Research,Strategy, Research,Technic, Research,Technics, Research,Technique, Research,Techniques, Research
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D001290	Attitude	An enduring, learned predisposition to behave in a consistent way toward a given class of objects, or a persistent mental and/or neural state of readiness to react to a certain class of objects, not as they are but as they are conceived to be.	Sentiment,Attitudes,Opinions,Opinion,Sentiments
D001690	Biological Science Disciplines	All of the divisions of the natural sciences dealing with the various aspects of the phenomena of life and vital processes. The concept includes anatomy and physiology, biochemistry and biophysics, and the biology of animals, plants, and microorganisms. It should be differentiated from BIOLOGY, one of its subdivisions, concerned specifically with the origin and life processes of living organisms.	Biological Sciences,Life Sciences,Biologic Sciences,Biological Science,Science, Biological,Sciences, Biological,Biologic Science,Biological Science Discipline,Discipline, Biological Science,Disciplines, Biological Science,Life Science,Science Discipline, Biological,Science Disciplines, Biological,Science, Biologic,Science, Life,Sciences, Biologic,Sciences, Life
D016730	Program Development	The process of formulating, improving, and expanding educational, managerial, or service-oriented work plans (excluding computer program development).	Program Descriptions,Description, Program,Descriptions, Program,Development, Program,Program Description