Summary

In Chapter 8, Jahren talks about the work it takes to “establish” oneself as a scientist. She talks about the risks of deciding on research questions and setting out to find the answers. That is a change from the years of doing assigned research, and some scientists do not make it through the dissertation process.

Jahren's dissertation was on the hackberry tree, which had remained impervious to pests and diseases that kill other kinds of trees. The berry of the tree is very hard. Jahren discovered that the hard outer layer is basically an opal. She was thrilled with the discovery, imagining that she was the only person who knew about it. She cried, partly because she finally understood what “real” research was all about. Another reason she cried was because she was lonely. She felt the absence of...