The rewards of curiosity and the joy of discovery: a motivational guide for future discoverers

The present effort grew out of our desire to communicate what we feel were very satisfying moments in our lives as scientists at various stages of our careers, and to motivate others to appreciate and also experience the joy of discovering something new, something surprising, something that adds an important element of knowledge to the culture of mankind and which may even change for the better, the life of people. Another compelling motivation is the declining trust in scientific approaches and a perceived demotion of science in a larger public which we see as a grave danger to future generations.