Definition of Science

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maggots only form when flies come into contact with meat and that spontaneous generation is not at play.3

On the other hand, there are also instances where the scientific method is not used to come up with an important discovery or a scientific breakthrough. Take for example the Penicillin. Alexander Fleming took a vacation from daily work in the laboratory investigating staphylococci, known commonly as staph. Upon his return on Sept. 3, 1928, the scientist found a strange fungus on a culture he had left in his lab—a fungus that had killed off all surrounding bacteria in the culture. After this "accident" modern medicine has never been the same.4

Another example is how Friedrich Kekulè, a German scientist "dreamed" of the cyclic structure of benzene. In his first dream in 1865, he saw atoms dance around and link to one another. After he woke up, he sketched what he saw in his dream. Later, he had his 2nd dream in which he saw atoms dance around, then form themselves into strings, moving about in a snake-like fashion. This vision continued until the snake of atoms formed itself into an image of a snake eating its own tail. This dream gave Kekulè the idea of the cyclic structure of benzene.5

To conclude this, I agree with Oswald that there are various methods in studying science and finding out results. It may be through a systematic method but could also occur through intuition, "accidents" etc..Learning about science could come from different sources. It could be from books and some from real-life experiences. There is really no conformity. The world of science is made of different shapes and sizes but despite of their differences, they are what makes up this piece of "one land" called Science.

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2Stein Carter, J.. "The Scientific Method." The Scientific Method. http://biology.clc.uc.edu/courses/bio104/sci_meth.htm (accessed July 13, 2014).

3 "Spontaneous Generation: A Brief History Of Disproving It.." AmoebaMike. http://amoebamike.wordpress.com/2009/10/06/spontaneous-generation-a-brief-history-of-disproving-it/ (accessed July 13, 2014).

4"10 Awesome Accidental Discoveries." Popular Mechanics. http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/health/breakthroughs/10-awesome-accidental-discoveries#slide-1 (accessed July 13, 2014).

5 Verderese, Michael, and Heinz Roth. "Kekulé’s Dream." ChemDoodle Web Components RSS. http://web.chemdoodle.com/kekules-dream (accessed July 13, 2014).