The Future of Science

For millions of years nature has been the only one responsible for evolution, now it has a competitor- humans. Our species has figured out ways to ‘out smart’ mother nature and learn to shape and control our own evolution. Today we can do many things. We can shape our bodies to ‘perfection’, increase our ‘strength’ or take pills that help us change our body functions. All these activities have gone from something found in science fiction books to a very normal and popular way of life for some.

But are humans going too far? Do we really have the knowledge and the experience to replace nature in its job? It seems that humans think so. Latest science experiences have enabled humans to take a cell from a tissue, make into a stem cell and recreate any part of the body needed. This leads not only to body part recreations, but full copies of animals. So far this type of science has been limited to animals, but with the advancement of science at such a rapid pace it is no longer unlikely to someday see humans making copies of themselves.

Now a days medical scientists are spending a big portion of their time and money trying to figure out cures for cancer and cardiovascular problems that are common in prosperous countries rather than focusing on infectious disease which are more likely to plague individuals in the tropics.  Most importantly, it is interesting to see how our brains are changing due to the fact that people are getting more inputs in one day as they used to in their entire lifetime. The effects of such a hyper active world are evident, individuals that are born with autisms increased from 6.7 in every 1,000 to 11.4 in 1,000 between 2006 to 2008. This increase is rapid but scientists don’t understand what is it caused by. There should be more research that helps us understand the effects of modern evolution on our brains and bodies.

The bottom line is this, humans cannot possibly understand and use science in a more efficient way for evolution than nature can. The fact is visible through the world we live in today. Humans are the only species with high intelligence and capacity than any other on the planet, yet we are also the only species that puts material values above others. This importance on materiality has led to an unjust world where in the 21st century the poor are getting more poor, while the rich become more rich. People with wealth and power have a influence on modern science, politics, policy, education, as well as every other aspect of our lives.

The question of whether science is getting out of control is valuable and timely. What we should really be asking ourselves though is whether we believe humans should have such an immense power of controlling not only their own evolution, but that of bacteria and the environment around us. Without the right monitoring, as well as good stakeholder engagement, the future of science could be more harmful than helpful. Maybe its best to keep things such as evolution to those with more experience and those without self interest or ego. It’s best left to mother nature.
Sources:
Carter, Beth. (2012) “Science May Soon Give Us Pills That Make Us Exercise”. Wired. Accessed on June 15, 2012 from: http://www.wired.com/playbook/2012/06/science-may-soon-give-us-pills-that-make-us-exercise

Enriquez, Juan. (2012) “Will our kids be a different species?” TED. Accessed on June 5, 2012 from: http://www.ted.com/talks/juan_enriquez_will_our_kids_be_a_different_species.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TedtalksHD+%28TEDTalks+HD+-+Site%29

4 comentarios / 17 Jun 2012 por Hokuma Karimova
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