I wonder if anyone else watches this show. Hope am not that detached from reality when am done with my PhD. I think Sophie is too 'ivory towerish' and am GLAD to see her go. Speaking of Science grads? Why are most Science PhDs 'know it alls?'Treating everyone like trash - at least thats what happens in my uni when we meet at the cafeteria.

i do science and i can say quite authoritatively that i know bugger all.

see, i told you..

well she kept calling herself a girl geek and then coming out with stupid comments "I didn't realise milk froths" "are dogs clever enough for a doggy operated fan".

Her view on life was extremely small.

Why did she take Sugar's comments about the pharmaceutical industry, shes a quantum physicist not a chemist/biologist etc....????

Re: Alan's comments about the pharmaceutical industry. She (although not her field so fair enough if she didn't know) should have pointed out that while drugs may cost pence to produce (and not all of them do by any means!) the price paid reflects the huge costs of bringing a drug to market. The average total R&D cost for new drugs in the late 1990s was $897 million, according to a report by the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development.

I agree Ann but then that goes back to her thinking that the cost of a retail item is only the parts/ingredients and not the labour, marketing R&D (which was pointed out).

She just comes across as one of those people who are academically good but then don't have much common sense.

What is she doing on there anyway. It makes me sick because the physics industry is so well paid compared to life sciences. I still want to work in the field after I finnish my PhD even though the pay is pittance if I was in her shoes I wouldnt be on that show.

Get a grip guys! Sugar was right, drugs etc have huge profit margins including R&D. You just need to look at GSK's profits for last year, can't remember the exact figure, google it, it's in the billions though. I'm not bitching, just being pragmatic, companies make money. Hopefully I'll be working for one in a few years and I too will make money.

Maybe but it wont be THAT much money considering how many years you have spent at uni.

You don't stay in science to make money, thats blatently obvious.

GSK made 6.7bn in 2006. Although, that's there whole product line, not just drugs, including Colgate toothpaste etc. Love Google.

you must be joking if you think that scients actually see any of the profits (unless they are very very VERY high up in the company).

or even scientists

Why become a scientist then (honestly!!).

Just a quick summary:

- extremely low salaries compared with industry and compared with work hours required for teaching, administration and publications

- recognition maybe from 100 UG students and 50 peers in the world

- your research won't change the world (with exceptions)

- Hierarchical, hostile working environments

Why do it?

Because you want to?

That wasn't the question. Why would anybody want to, despite the negative points I listed?

No offense to people who love it, I'm just interested WHY they love it.