I agree in principle, but I worry that much of the scientific knowledge within reach of the privately-funded, hobbyist researcher has already been discovered. The low hanging fruit has already been picked, so to speak. The time when you could look at a drop of pond water with a microscope and count the squiggly bacteria is past. I hope I am wrong.
Most of science is data analysis. Modern scientific instruments have generated more data than federally funded scientists can ever hope to imagine. Anyone with a decently powerful laptop, a sound mathematical knowledge base and a positive metal attitude can make new discoveries based on preexisting data. That said, given the exponential decrease in space launch costs and the affordability of fairly decent sensors, it would probably be advantageous to create a foundation capable of funding research on the scale of tens of millions, rather than billions.
The Shoemaker-Levy 9 story is an excellent example of amateurs scientists making discoveries in fairly modern times
Thanks for the support! I have several expansion plans for Tom Swift, including a monthly substack science roundup, and a Tom Swift Academy to cultivate a league of gentleman scientists. If you would like to advance these efforts to found the next civilization, by all means upgrade to paid!
I agree in principle, but I worry that much of the scientific knowledge within reach of the privately-funded, hobbyist researcher has already been discovered. The low hanging fruit has already been picked, so to speak. The time when you could look at a drop of pond water with a microscope and count the squiggly bacteria is past. I hope I am wrong.
Most of science is data analysis. Modern scientific instruments have generated more data than federally funded scientists can ever hope to imagine. Anyone with a decently powerful laptop, a sound mathematical knowledge base and a positive metal attitude can make new discoveries based on preexisting data. That said, given the exponential decrease in space launch costs and the affordability of fairly decent sensors, it would probably be advantageous to create a foundation capable of funding research on the scale of tens of millions, rather than billions.
The Shoemaker-Levy 9 story is an excellent example of amateurs scientists making discoveries in fairly modern times
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comet_Shoemaker%E2%80%93Levy_9
This website is quite useful for examining what open-source research and inventors are currently investigating:
https://makezine.com/article/technology/open-source/open-source-hardware-certifications-for-april-2025/
For these reasons I believe it is quite possible for independent research to perform original research.
We need more people like you on this planet. My modest proposal: make clones of you.
Thanks for the support! I have several expansion plans for Tom Swift, including a monthly substack science roundup, and a Tom Swift Academy to cultivate a league of gentleman scientists. If you would like to advance these efforts to found the next civilization, by all means upgrade to paid!