To say that basic science is exciting may sound like a contradiction... But I would remind you that there are two intellectual excitements that are not tame at all and that we remember all our lives. One is the thrill of following out a chain of reasoning for yourself; the other is the pleasure of watching several strongly individualistic personalities argue about their deepest convictions. That is to say, the thrill of a detective story and the pleasure of watching a play by George Bernard Shaw.

John R. Platt (1960) "The sweep and excitement of science" in: Public Health Rep. 1960 June; 75(6). p. 495

The sweep and excitement of science[ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]