The Fourteenth Goldfish

Science isn’t simply, as Lissa puts it, “A bunch of boring people standing around in white lab coats” (119). It’s a grand pursuit, a quest for knowledge, and an adventure in discovery. Ellie learns this from her grandfather, an eccentric genius whose search for answers leads him to a chemical that rejuvenates old bodies, including his own. Ellie also learns that the driving force of science is more than mere curiosity: It’s the romance of the possible.

Melvin feels an intense love for his scientific work. Ellie feels drawn to this enthusiasm; she expresses an interest in research that Melvin could never coax from his daughter. Melvin buys her a professional microscope that she uses to investigate items in the world around her. He also tells Ellie stories of scientists whose yearning to find answers made them famous.

Galileo practiced the first principle of science, observation, and discovered the moons of Jupiter, among many other achievements. Robert Oppenheimer led the team that invented the first atomic bomb, a hugely difficult technical problem that they solved in time to change the world. Jonas Salk worked tirelessly with his researchers to develop the first successful polio vaccine. Like Melvin, Salk even tested his new drug on himself.