I think most successful scientists are pragmatic. If you need to launch buckshot into cellular tissue, a "gun" is a great way to do it. I gave you the wrong issue. I just cruised the whole thing; I'm not sure where it was. It was a single-page thing so it may take me a while to find.As for Scientific American article, I hit a paywall, but a PDF of the article is available here.
Ah well, if it's a pain, don't worry about it. A friend's mother is employed by the US Forest Service and though I'm not entirely clear on what her research entails, I know that the recent changes to gun laws in various states has greatly impeded how she collects samples, which of course involves using shotguns to get pieces from the upper branches of trees. Dendrology is a lot more interesting with guns. Walking around measuring tree's DBH could be fun I guess, provided a collaborator with some nice Bs.I think most successful scientists are pragmatic. If you need to launch buckshot into cellular tissue, a "gun" is a great way to do it.