ANK on Plausible versus Possible - Science versus Fiction

In writing fiction - especially #sciencefiction and #fantasy - authors will be confronted with many questions concerning the believability of their story.
How does one make the implausible, unbelievable, and sometimes outright bonkers believable?
I am not talking possible. Many of the mental constructs existing in the realm of fiction can seem very plausible - even if they are (currently) impossible.
Personally, I like to draw on my profession. I am a scientist by trade and I have been working in research for more than two decades now... and counting.
It is a profession not done for the money, but for the love of it; because it is interesting; because it allows us to learn new things, have discussions with interesting people, and because it introduces us to mindboggling new concepts - things we never even knew existed.
And that's where the bridge to fiction is so easily forged!
Many scientific findings started as mere ideas - constructs in a person's mind, fuelled by imagination, and taken further by sheer determination to follow a vision. Ideas scientists took to the next level - to examine them, challenge them, and proof that they might just be right, and then develop them.
Scientists are often storytellers at heart; they are good at inspiring people, draw them in, and infect others with their passion.
Having said that: Science is a demanding mistress! It's not an easy job, and taking a theory from an idea, through the experimental design stages, through scrutiny by funding bodies, and finally into the lab requires more than passion. It requires determination and grit; the ability to seriously think outside the box, to be so creative it puts artists to shame, and to be so determined to succeed, that professional athletes are put to shame.
And from all what I know, the same goes for writing!
Taking an idea and developing it into a published book is no mean feat. It takes time, determination, a lot of thinking, slogging through repeated rounds of editing, and making sure the story has no plotholes or incongruencies.
Not to mention the many occasions when one wakes up in the daft hours of the night because a great idea shook one awake rudely.
Writing and science both heavily rely on imagination, determination, and the knowledge of how to craft a good story.
Happy experimenting & writing!