Beshoy Emad Milik Azeez
Design by: Yousef Ahmed
In 1903, John Dalton made his first steps towards the unknown. He formulated his Atomic Theory. Dalton proposed that material consisted of tiny particles referred to as atoms. They are solid and can not be split. But in 1932, the Atomic Theory was refined obviously. Scientists used mathematics to work out how the particles move and what they look like. In contrast to what Dalton assumed, they found that atoms are hollow with electrons spinning around in orbits!!
In the past, science was based on experiments more than researches. In 1953, a neurosurgeon named William Beecher Scoville operated on an Epileptic patient. He removed part of his hippocampus to relieve his seizures. He sucked out, by mistake, the surrounding medial temporal lobes, that lead to the discovery of memory centers of the brain. Seems scary right?
Thus, we conclude that in the world of science there is nothing taken for granted or known for sure. Scientific advances inform us about new outcomes daily. Hubble’s telescope and electron microscopy bring the beauty of science in handy. Evolution and progress never stop and it is significantly limitless. This leads to erroneous intuition that science is not veritable. Are scientists, especially in the medical field, losing their credibility?
Nevertheless, we discover that how science is largely based on the best available data that scientists and researchers have. In the medical field, we can find that these principles are called evidence-based medicine.
Archibald Leman Cochrane, a Scottish doctor, wrote about his theory of EBM in his book "Effectiveness and Efficiency: Random Reflections on Health Services". He encourages the usage of randomized control trials to make medicine more effective and powerful.
Ben Feringa, the 2016 Nobel laureate in chemistry had a comment in the webinar "United by science" answering a question from a student about the spread of fake science nowadays. Feringa said: "Scientists have the duty to bring forward knowledge insights whatever the field of academia. All fields are totally based on scientific insights". He refused to agree that science is an "opinion" of one person.
Science is trustworthy because it comes out after dozens of researchers and trials before it reaches us. Intuitions, fake judgments and misleading questions never comprise science.
Nowadays, a conspicuous debate considering the action of COVID-19 pandemic, vaccination and major adverse effects have led people's decision of refusing or avoiding to take the vaccine. However, scientists are dealing with COVID-19 most carefully and accurately.
At the identical time, no information can be 100% correct. Prof.Sir. Magdy Yacoub once said that what we know about the heart does not exceed 1% of unknown knowledge.
Vaccines are proved to be safe enough if they fulfill the criteria of patients ready for vaccination (not severe diabetes, rheumatoid patient, virally infected and so on). This leaves us with endless uncertainty about science that drives human curiosity and mental capabilities to evolve and progress for the best of humankind.
It is our responsibility to help educate society and to adjust our views of various aspects of knowledge.
References:
1. IGCSE chemistry book 2021
2. Article of National Geographic, November 2007 about memory.
3. Thinking fast and slow
4. "United by science" : webinar by Royal Swedish Academy of sciences.
5. Cochrane Library.
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