Friday 8 November 2013

Is Science changing?

Today, in Genetics and Beyond, we want to move from information to opinion. The question of this post is simple: Is science changing?

Some of you would answer: "Off course, science is always changing!", and you will be right. But now try to make the same question from a kind of philosophical point of view. Science has always been discoveries, innovation, progress and answers. Sometimes more a generator of new questions than of revealing answers. But, instead of that very very brief definition, at the end which is the aim of the science?

Picture from ceruleansanctum.com


There are a lot of correct answers to this question, but we will focus on one: solve the questions that surround us every second, that make it all work, that have brought us till here. Those that could calm down our insatiable brain. This questions include all the science fields, from Physics or Chemistry to Biology or Astronomy. And it ends with "something" that could make us understand what's really going on. From here, we can remember a lot of great discoveries: since the discovery of fire in prehistoric times to the theory of relativity of Albert Einstein, through recent discoveries as the smallpox vaccine by Edward Jenner and the physiological studies of Ivan Pavlov and his dogs. So romantic, isn't it?

But when you think in science of today, when you are into this, let's call it "data-creator centrifuge", that is science nowadays, you realize that sometimes not everything is that poetic. Before your understandable critical comments saying: "But science is not always an easy success" or "The normal thing in science is getting nothing more at the end than disappointments", let us explain. Nowadays the huge generation of data (that could not be analysed in years!), the pressure for publishing (usually to get funds) and the incredibly high expectations and ambitions led us to forget the final aim, the answer to this initial question that now is hidden under patent solicitations and paper reviews.

Picture from real-agenda.com

With this post we don't want to say that science is frustrating (actually it is), but we want to make you thing about how not only science, but thinking of nowadays is changing, and how it could lead us to lose what are we really doing and what are we working for.

We want to end with a message for all of our readers: Be critic, don't lose your objectives and think everyday in what you are doing. The science is only the example!


More and maybe better, soon in Genetics and Beyond!

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