In a lab, you can try things. And if they blow up? Oh well, log that as one more thing NOT to do.
And the results of these experiments? They produce innovation. They produce breakthroughs. Every major thing that makes our lives better happened because someone was willing to try something that had never been tried before.
We need to create more room in our own personal worlds for experimentation. We should test-drive more.
The thing is that experiments go better when they are done in conditions that help protect when things go wrong...like say, vented hoods to suck out the noxious smoke. I'm pretty sure we could better structure our lives to be able to experiment.
May have to play with what that looks like.