Collaboration: the mother of invention

It’s long been thought that proximity fosters fruitful encounters among researchers, but a recent paper showed just how powerful it can be: An analysis of a decade of Harvard biomedical research collaborations — including Selkoe and Walsh’s — found that the closer the offices of key research partners, the more influential their joint papers were likely to be. It mattered whether collaborators were riding the same elevators in a building in Longwood, or working in labs on opposite banks of the Charles.

By Carolyn Y. Johnson

Full Story: http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2011/05/08/for_researchers_in_boston_area_close_quarters_help_elevate_their_work/