How science creates a functional society

Science and Culture

From the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO):

"Science is the greatest collective endeavor. It contributes to ensuring a

longer and healthier life, monitors our health, provides medicine to cure our
diseases, alleviates aches and pains, helps us to provide water for our basic
needs – including our food, provides energy and makes life more fun,
including sports, music, entertainment and the latest communication
technology. Last but not least, it nourishes our spirit.

Science generates solutions for everyday life and helps us to answer the
great mysteries of the universe. In other words, science is one of the most
important channels of knowledge. It has a specific role, as well as a variety
of functions for the benefit of our society: creating new knowledge,
improving education, and increasing the quality of our lives.

Science must respond to societal needs and global challenges. Public

understanding and engagement with science, and citizen participation
including through the popularization of science are essential to equip
citizens to make informed personal and professional choices. Governments
need to make decisions based on quality scientific information on issues
such as health and agriculture, and parliaments need to legislate on societal
issues which necessitate the latest scientific knowledge. National
governments need to understand the science behind major global
challenges such as climate change, ocean health, biodiversity loss and
freshwater security.

To face sustainable development challenges, governments and citizens alike

must understand the language of science and must become scientifically
literate. On the other hand, scientists must understand the problems policy-
makers face and endeavor to make the results of their research relevant
and comprehensible to society.

Challenges today cut across the traditional boundaries of disciplines and

stretch across the lifecycle of innovation -- from research to knowledge
development and its application. Science, technology and innovation must
drive our pursuit of more equitable and sustainable development" (2021).
Two Types of Science: Basic Science and Applied
Science
The scientific community has been debating for the last few decades about the value of
different types of science. Is it valuable to pursue science for the sake of simply gaining
knowledge, or does scientific knowledge only have worth if we can apply it to solving a
specific problem or to bettering our lives? This question focuses on the differences
between two types of science: basic science and applied science.

Basic science or “pure” science seeks to expand knowledge regardless of the short-term
application of that knowledge. It is not focused on developing a product or a service of
immediate public or commercial value. The immediate goal of basic science is
knowledge for knowledge’s sake, though this does not mean that, in the end, it may
not result in a practical application.

In contrast, applied science or “technology,” aims to use science to solve real-world

problems, making it possible, for example, to improve a crop yield, find a cure for a
particular disease, or save animals threatened by a natural disaster (Figure 0.3.10.3.1).
In applied science, the problem is usually defined for the researcher.

Some individuals may perceive applied science as “useful” and basic science as
“useless.” A question these people might pose to a scientist advocating knowledge
acquisition would be, “What for?” A careful look at the history of science, however,
reveals that basic knowledge has resulted in many remarkable applications of great
value. Many scientists think that a basic understanding of science is necessary before
an application is developed; therefore, applied science relies on the results generated
through basic science. Other scientists think that it is time to move on from basic
science and instead to find solutions to actual problems. Both approaches are valid. It is
true that there are problems that demand immediate attention; however, few solutions
would be found without the help of the wide knowledge foundation generated through
basic science.

One example of how basic and applied science can work together to solve practical
problems occurred after the discovery of DNA structure led to an understanding of the
molecular mechanisms governing DNA replication. Strands of DNA, unique in every
human, are found in our cells, where they provide the instructions necessary for life.
During DNA replication, DNA makes new copies of itself, shortly before a cell divides.
Understanding the mechanisms of DNA replication enabled scientists to develop
laboratory techniques that are now used to identify genetic diseases, pinpoint
individuals who were at a crime scene, and determine paternity. Without basic science,
it is unlikely that applied science would exist.
Another example of the link between basic and applied research is the Human Genome
Project, a study in which each human chromosome was analyzed and mapped to
determine the precise sequence of DNA subunits and the exact location of each gene.
(The gene is the basic unit of heredity; an individual’s complete collection of genes is
his or her genome). Other less complex organisms have also been studied as part of
this project in order to gain a better understanding of human chromosomes. The
Human Genome Project relied on basic research carried out with simple organisms and,
later, with the human genome (Figure 0.3.20.3.2). An important end goal eventually
became using the data for applied research, seeking cures and early diagnoses for
genetically related diseases.

Science plays a huge part in our daily lives, and it’s transforming our
world at an incredible pace.

However, not everyone understands that it is not just about inventions

or new technology or new medicines; Science is a lot more than that.

So, what role does science play in today’s society, and what makes it
so important?

Science has created crucial knowledge that we

need every day such as medicine, food
preparation, and agricultural practices
Basically all modern medicines we have were discovered or created
using science. One of the first was the discovery of Penicillin in 1928
when Sir Alexander Fleming was experimenting in his lab in London.

Ancient people learned how to cook and prepare food through trial
and error—basically the scientific method. Now, thanks to modern
science, we understand how cooking such as the Maillard reaction, a
chemical reaction between an amino acid and a reducing sugar usually
requiring heat, work.
Ancient peoples also used a nascent scientific method to learn what
practices worked best in agriculture. Today, science has taught us
rotating crops, increased crop diversity, cover crops, reducing tillage,
integrated pest management, and other practices are very effective.

Science paved the way for technology

Other benefits of science in your everyday life include technologies
such as computers, cell phones, and other communications devices,
television, cars, buses, and the like. If scientists hadn’t discovered
electricity, none of these would be possible.

Science is also how we create new knowledge

moving forward because it’s a logical method
to solve problems
You probably learned the scientific method in school: ask a question,
do background research and construct a hypothesis, test your
hypothesis via experimentation, analyze data and draw conclusions,
share results.

We need science/the scientific method to solve current and future

problems, including how to get along with one another, how to better
predict severe weather like tornadoes and hurricanes, possible ways to
fix climate change, and even how to cure cancer.

Science is first of all important because it is

materially useful: it gives us technology, like
biology, energy, medicine, or computers
Technology, which started to grow exponentially in the 1800s and
exploded in the second half of the 1900s, is perhaps the most
important driver that has enabled us to reduce global absolute
poverty from 55% to 15% over the past 40 years and under-five
mortality rate from 90% to 15% since 1990. It is allowing to feed far
more people than 50 years ago. And the average worldwide life
expectancy at birth is now 72, compared to 53 in 1960.

Science is also important because it is the best

method invented so far to investigate nature
and understand how it works
This is not only useful but also psychologically and intellectually
rewarding. Two other great human mental methods exist, art and
religion. They are both great. They entertain us, they comfort us, they
give us joy and they keep us spiritually alive.

Art and religion also sometimes provide us, like science, with some
tools to study reality. But in this respect science is perhaps unbeatable,
because it teaches us a good practical methodology to (a)
communicate in an unambiguous fashion, and (b) allow others to
verify our results.

Science never rests on its results

Contrary to a widespread belief, science is not concerned with truth.
Rather, science is concerned with constantly looking for the best
possible explanations of phenomena.

Scientists are obsessed with disproving something that has already

been scientifically proved. And in fact, one definition of science is a
human activity that only deals with falsifiable theories. Science is by no
means infallible. This makes it nice, and it teaches us a lot.

Science promotes fact-based education

On the opposite scale of this movement is the homogeneous, fact-
based education model that is prevalent in the Nordic countries. The
curriculum includes subjects that guide the students towards critical
thinking, aiding them to resolve the truthfulness of their data sources
in a world in which fact and fiction appear to be presented on equal
footing.

But education is only one side of the coin: open access to libraries with
quality content that offers both fact and fiction for curious young
minds has played an important role, too, and is often directly
connected to the appreciation of learning in general. Many prominent
careers have been sparked by a random book that the reader came
across on a library shelf.

As a society, we owe our knowledge of food

and nutrition to science
Why is this important? Without this knowledge, we would be unable
to manage and prevent many chronic illnesses. Consider the individual
living with a diabetes diagnosis.

Science has led to deepening our understanding of how to

manage this disease through diet, and in some cases, with
medication.