"That's probably why there are so lamentably few replication studies done," says Bella. "It's a real problem, actually - the people qualified to redo studies aren't interested, so they don't, so we go by old results that one study got one time, and for standard p-values that means that one in twenty results we're relying on is just wrong. Coincidence." She looks at their lab experiment with a small sigh. "One thing I can say for this kind of silly make-work is that if it turned out these dialysis membranes didn't consistently work as advertised? Some undergrad class would've noticed by now."

"If I had a particle accelerator of my very own," she says, smiling slightly, "I'd be more likely to check my own work before other people's."

"Sure, but then the idiosyncrasies of your particular accelerator could still throw you off. If you're, I don't know, too far north or there's a little scratch in one bit of the machine or you're using different software to run it or it's too sunny out. You want someone in Switzerland or wherever to help you."

"And if I had a particle accelerator of my very own, I'm sure I'd take that into consideration. Why, do you know where I can find one for sale?"

"Nah, I have no idea how you'd go about getting one. Don't they have to be built onsite from near-scratch anyway? I think they're big. Can't put them in a shipping container readily."

"Yes, they're not exactly portable. But then, neither is a house." She cracks a grin. "Now, find me a house with a particle accelerator in the basement, and I'm there."

"If I find one, I will certainly tell you."

"You are turning out to be an excellent friend so far, then."

"Anything else I should be on the lookout for? Giant Tesla coils, islands full of subtly diverse finches, Leaning Towers of Pisa off of which you might drop objects?"

"Didn't we just go over how I prefer not to replicate other people's results before finding out new ones of my own? Giant Tesla coils sound like fun on a recreational basis, though. I wouldn't mind one of those."

"I was just listing minimally portable scientific items," Bella says, shrugging and noting the required notes in her lab notebook. "Not filtering beyond that."

"In that case, well done."

"That depends. How science-related is origami, in your opinion?"

"Not particularly so!" Bella says. "Fold anything cool lately?"

"I'm working on a design that I hope will eventually be a duck."

"Is it currently an egg?" Bella asks innocently.

Bella grins, self-satisfied. "I actually know nothing about how origami designs are made."

"Guesswork and math," says Bridget. "In my case, heavy on the guesswork, light on the math."

"Would have expected a physicist to go the other way around. Doesn't physics have lots of math in it?"

"Yes. I just happen to think origami design is more fun if it involves a lot of crumpling up paper and throwing it at the walls."

Bella giggles helplessly. This affects her handwriting, but she recovers after a minute.

Bridget grins. "And now we're even."

Bella grins back at her. "Are we keeping score, now?"