Medical science can seem to zig and zag from one study to the next. One study says one thing while another study appears to contradict it.

What may not be obvious is that, behind the apparent contradictions, is a process called the scientific method. Over time, the scientific method, starting with basic research, straightens out these contradictions and points to the best answer science can provide.

This process and how basic research supports medical breakthroughs is the subject of a new exhibit at Mayo Clinic's Research Information Center, "Discovery Science: Building a Medical Map of the Body."

"For the discovery center, we use a road map superimposed on the silhouette of a person. This conveys the concept of a roadmap to health, the roadmap of disease, the complexity of being healthy, and complication of disease," says Mark McNiven, Ph.D., director of the Center for Biomedical Discovery.

The exhibit features an animated video that gives visitors an inside look at the human body to see cells in their element. A second video explains how discovery research builds a foundation for ideas that can be tested in clinical trials and lead to patient treatments and cure diseases.

"The mantra that we have for the discovery center is you must understand what you're trying to treat," Dr. McNiven says.

The Research Information Center in Rochester serves as the front door to Mayo Clinic research for patients, visitors and community members. These exhibits showcase research topics that deepen visitor understanding of the role medical science plays at Mayo and helps patients find clinical research information.

The Research Information Center is in the Gonda Lobby on the Rochester campus and is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CDT. The discovery science exhibit will run through October 2018.