We humans have always striven to make sense of the world around us.

  Our early ancestors, in

their quest to keep track of the Earth’s changing weather patterns, through the power of
observation created the first calendars; the first tools to tell time.  With these ancient
calendars, mankind was thus able to plan ahead; to think long term; to determine when to best
plant food crops so that they can grow and be harvested in time for winter so that they have
sustenance during the long cold days when nothing can be grown and hunting is tedious in the
snow.  Astronomy and agriculture of course, were only the beginning.  We humans now have
an entire pantheon of science to thank for how they enable modern life as we know it.
 
The world’s most pressing concern today is the pandemic.  Similar to our early ancestors, it is
through the power of observation; of learning everything we can about Covid-19 that we can
hope to find a way to defeat it.  Our modern tools are orders of magnitude more powerful. 
Advanced microscopes and electronic records of prior viral outbreaks allowed us to make an
educated guess as to the origins of this disease.  Ongoing research on mRNA and adenovirus
vaccines enabled us to concoct our most potent weapons against this cursed pathogen. It is
through chemistry that we formulated the cleaning agents and disinfectants we use every day
to be safe.  It is through physics and materials technology that we designed the protective
equipment we wear every day, again to be safe.
 
While Covid-19 is humanity’s main problem right now, we must keep in mind that it is not the
only problem we have.  From climate change, to growing inequality, to dwindling resources, to
the spread of misinformation, there will be a lot more that mankind as a species would need to
address sooner or later.  As ever, it would fall on us using our scientific knowledge and skills to
find solutions.  
 
There is stuff to learn and work to be done. Let’s get at it!