Often times, the experiment’s upshot is crystal clear. Sometimes, you get faked out by cubic zirconium conclusions, and need to buff your results a bit more. But the one certainty is this: Real learning – and real WOW moments – happen when you’re stupefied by the results and your hypothesis is shredded to bits. This is especially rewarding when your experiment has real-world applications. And when your results throw you a surprise party, it’s pretty hard to not invite them to your next experiment.