More science philosophy

There's a tendency to think of scientists as egghead intellectual types, even among themselves. I'm going to differ though. It seems to me that intelligence isn't remotely a success trait in science. Sure you need enough to get by, but it rarely makes or breaks you. The best scientists have a combination of two things: intuition and perseverance. Intuition is all about knowing what research will be useful, solvable, and interesting. It's having a good feel for worthwhile managable projects. Perserverance is a matter of dedication and the ability to work through the unanticipated issues that invariably pop up. Combine those two traits with a smidge of innovation or creativity and you've got ispiration. Intelligence can't compete with inspiration, it's not even close.