#fieldworkfail, an Endearing Chronicle of Scientists in Their Natural Environment

#fieldworkfail is in retrospect #fieldworkwin, depicting scientists in their natural environments

If you grew up watching Dexter’s Lab or broadcasts of ISRO’s mission control room on DD News, you would’ve picked up a lot of science as well as a misconception: that scientists are all about working in a closed-off space with an intimidating array of instruments, donning labcoats (originally white-coloured) and goggles, and as a matter of convention not finding anything funny. But as it happens, there are also many scientists out there getting their hands dirty with natural, not just lab-made, gunk.

Consider the tweets tagged #fieldworkfail on Twitter. From getting their legs stuck in tarpits to glueing themselves to crocodiles to dropping cheetah poop on themselves, #fieldworkfail is in retrospect #fieldworkwin, depicting scientists in their natural environments, showing them making mistakes like the rest of us, but most importantly showing in insightful light what science really is: about being curious, taking initiative and being honest about the results. And to the hashtag’s additional credit, the ~~tweets~~ scientists are also hilarious.

https://twitter.com/field_daze/status/626928227559325696

https://twitter.com/leafwarbler/status/626934965494784000

https://twitter.com/AgataStaniewicz/status/626899283552419840

https://twitter.com/Ichnologist/status/626848915795636225

See a salamander, while going to catch it see a different salamander, get distracted, catch zero salamanders #fieldworkfail
— Nick Caruso (@PlethodoNick) July 30, 2015

https://twitter.com/tattoosandbones/status/626893400634101760

https://twitter.com/ambikamath/status/626823371427196928

When I cut open a dead donkey to attract hyenas for a pop. count and dead donkey flew into my open mouth #fieldworkfail
— Dr Kaggie Orrick (@KaggleRock) July 30, 2015

https://twitter.com/kelseywinsor/status/626943242018263040

When you are collecting cheetah poop and drop some on yourself.#fieldworkfail #distractinglysexy pic.twitter.com/RvgHfauQ6P
— Anne Hilborn (@AnneWHilborn) July 30, 2015

https://twitter.com/naomi_noodle/status/626940573950287872

https://twitter.com/TellDrtell/status/626897187600007168

https://twitter.com/tattoosandbones/status/626942127990112257

And like all humans…