At the ongoing Royal Society Summer Science exhibition was a public lecture on Cultivating eureka: a discussion on how these special, historic moments in science come about. Professor Uta Frith and Dr. Anna Marie Roos also spoke about the relevance of eureka stories in popularising great scientific achievements.

So how do scientists make big breakthrough discoveries and create insightful inventions in single, spectacular moment of clarity:

Drawing analogies

Zeitgeist

Mysterious gears turning inside

More wheels and cogs to ignite the spark