Measurements are widely used in science, engineering, industry, and trade. They form the basis for experimental scientific research, approach, and progress; however, their foundations are seldom thought or questioned. Recently poikilosis, pervasive heterogeneity ranging from subatomic level to biosphere, was introduced. Poikilosis makes single point measurements and estimates obsolete and irrelevant as measurands display intervals of magnitudes. Consideration of poikilosis requires new lines of thinking in experimental design, conduction of studies, data analysis and interpretation. Measurements of poikilosis must consider lagom, normal, variation extent. Measurements, measures, and measurands as well as the measuring systems and uncertainties are discussed from the perspective of poikilosis. New systematics is introduced for description of uncertainty in measurements and for types of experimental designs. Poikilosis-aware experimenting, data analysis and interpretation are discussed. Instructions are provided for how to measure lagom and non-lagom effects of poikilosis. Consideration of poikilosis can solve scientific controversies and enigmas and can allow novel insight into systems, processes, mechanisms, and reactions and their interpretation, understanding, and manipulation. Furthermore, it will increase reproducibility of measurements and studies.
Keywords: experimental design; heterogeneity; lagom; measurand; measurement; measurement uncertainty; poikilosis.
©2021 The Authors. FASEB BioAdvances published by The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.