I was covering a story on X-ray crystallography. It’s not terribly important to know what that is, which is good, since I would have great difficulty explaining it. In fact, when I asked the researcher engaged in this pursuit to explain X-ray crystallography, I understood little more than the prepositions, articles, and conjunctions of his explanation. But I did glean one important fact from his oratory: that his research could benefit the manufacture of pharmaceuticals. I mentioned this to him, and his brow furrowed. He became increasingly noncommunicative as I queried him on this aspect of his research.