Final answer:
The boundaries between disciplines are least distinct in interdisciplinary research. This type of research combines knowledge from various fields to solve complex problems or gain comprehensive insights, as illustrated in plague studies, where a blend of history and biological sciences is necessary.
Step-by-step explanation:
The type of research where the boundaries between disciplines of knowledge are least distinct is known as interdisciplinary research.
Interdisciplinary research involves integrating information, data, techniques, tools, perspectives, concepts, and/or theories from two or more disciplines or bodies of specialized knowledge to advance fundamental understanding or to solve problems whose solutions are beyond the scope of a single discipline or area of research practice.
Such research is evident in the field of plague studies, where an interdisciplinary approach is inevitable, blending history, genomics, evolutionary biology, and other sciences to understand complex issues.
For example, in ecology and environmental science, the study of climate history might combine with biological data to enhance understanding of past plagues.
This approach demands a collaborative effort that incorporates diverse research methods and sources, such as primary documents in non-Western languages, which once translated, could greatly benefit from the scientific advancements in understanding plague dynamics.
The dialogue between descriptive science and hypothesis-based science further demonstrates this blurring of lines.
Observations can lead to questions that form the basis of a hypothesis, blending inductive and deductive thinking in the pursuit of scientific understanding.
One real-world example is the development of Velcro, which was inspired by a simple observation of nature leading to a practical invention through an iterative process of discovery and hypothesis testing.