Even “Boring” Ideas are Surprisingly Deep — Niko McCarty
After publishing my PCR essay, I learned that a fixed-temperature PCR method now exists — revealing how even old, solved methods can harbor deep surprises.
Even “Boring” Ideas are Surprisingly Deep - Niko McCarty Niko McCarty Toggle Light Twitter / X LinkedIn Email ← Shortform Even “Boring” Ideas are Surprisingly Deep May 17, 2026 · 8 min read shortform Read in another language → I. Many ideas that seem “simple” on their surface are surprisingly deep. I suspect this is true in every scientific field, and it’s certainly true in biology. Polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, is one example. PCR wasn’t mundane when scientists invented it in the 1970s, but even high schoolers learn it toda
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