How difficult is it to make an important discovery?
“Important” is a fuzzy word. Each new discovery or observation or theory helps us better understand our Universe. That’s important, but in some cases the new knowledge can be what we call “incremental.” It adds just a little bit of new understanding. For example, someone might have a model of the Universe that says the Universe is getting smaller with time. If your new data show that the Universe is getting smaller faster that the other person thought, that is important. But if your new data show that the Universe is actually getting BIGGER with time, then that is IMPORTANT. See the difference? To do really IMPORTANT work usually requires either being exceedingly brilliant (and remember that 99.999% of us are NOT Einstein), or being clever about which problem you choose and how you choose to solve it – like use a brand new instrument or work on a brand new field.
