Science, the great unifier
Second, science has the ability to unite and inspire. It’s a truly international endeavor; I know this from personal experience, having had the good fortune of working with people from all over the world. Their friendship has enriched my life in ways that go beyond the laboratory. In my opinion, this can only be a good thing for an increasingly divided and xenophobic world. (Considering that I’ve already benefited this year from the warm hospitality of former colleagues in three different countries, this is also a good thing for me. Thanks guys, it was great seeing you! Love from your friend, who really means it when she says she’ll come visit.)
For another, the beauty of science is something that everyone, regardless of political or religious affiliation, can appreciate. The widespread excitement surrounding events such as the sequencing of the human genome, the detection of gravitational waves, or the flyby of Pluto, for example, is testament to this.
But our enthusiasm isn’t just limited to ground-breaking achievements—look at how excited we get every time there is a supermoon, or even at how hard the Internet rooted for the poor baby iguana in the series Planet Earth II (if you cheered for the snakes, you have a heart of stone and we cannot be friends).
Science can inspire us to contemplate big ideas—what makes us human, our place in the cosmos, the wonders of the natural world—and I like to think that this, perhaps in some small or subconscious way, can help us put our differences in perspective.
If you’re still with me, thank you for indulging this bout of introspection. Regular programming—brought to you by endorphins, chocolate, and Biden pranks—will resume next time.
This article is from a monthly column called The Bug Report. Click here to see the other articles in this series.
———
Copyright: Asian Scientist Magazine; Photo: Pixabay.
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff.
