The following are excerpts from a small essay by Bruce Alberts (the author of Molecular Biology of the Cell).
On the competitive side of science:
I had witnessed the frustration of scientists who were pursuing obvious experiments that were simultaneously being carried out in other laboratories. These scientists were constantly in a race. It had always seemed to me that, even if they were able to publish their results six months before a competing laboratory, they were unlikely to make truly unique contributions.
On one-sided experiments:
My approach had been that of predicting how a particular biological process might work and then taking years to test whether my guess might be right. This was enormously risky. The good news was that I was carrying out experiments that were different from those being done by everyone else. The problem was that these tests could produce only a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer. If ‘yes’, I might be able to add something unique to the world’s store of scientific knowledge. But if ‘no’, I would learn nothing of real value
On his strategy:
I would look for a unique experimental approach, but one that would have a high probability of increasing our knowledge of the natural world, regard- less of the experimental results obtained.