• Question: how dose science change life?

    Asked by to Aled, Ellie, Fiona, Kev, Willem on 18 Mar 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Aled Roberts

      Aled Roberts answered on 18 Mar 2014:


      Hi ak47killer!

      There are many many many ways in which science has changed our lives! Think of a would without a computer… a car… the internet… a mobile phone… antibiotics… sterile surgeries! We are very lucky to have made some of the scientific discoveries we have! If we look at science in my particular field (antibiotics) then some people would die from a measly cut on their knee if we didn’t have them as the bacteria could enter the blood and stop your heart! Now we live longer we have different challenges! Cancer is a big one and we need new scientist, young scientists to come through and make the discoveries! Can you be that person!?!?!

      Hope that answered your question 🙂 Don’t forget to vote : )

    • Photo: Kevin Arbuckle

      Kevin Arbuckle answered on 18 Mar 2014:


      There are a few questions you might be asking here so I’ll try and answer them all – but if I’ve missed what you meant or you want more info just ask in a comment below!

      Firstly, how does science change people’s lives (what benefits does it have to society)? Well, almost every major advance in modern human society has happened because of science. The physics of energy and the chemistry of coal/oil/gas/uranium/etc. gave us power sources and electricity. The biology of our own (and other animal’s) bodies and chemistry of drugs gave us medicine and healthcare. And various things together gave us such inventions as transport (cars, planes, etc.), computers and technology, pest control, domestic animals and food supplies, and any number of other benefits.

      Also, humans are naturally curious creatures. We spend a lot of time trying to find things out and this knowledge and understanding in itself gives us a sense of wellbeing and fullfillment. Science gives us the mental boost to look at a sunrise, or a hunting insect, or the statues of Easter Island, ask why/how/when, and find out the answer. I think this benefit to science is often overlooked, but it is an important one.

      Secondly, how does science change the life of scientists (what effect does it have on how we live our lives)? Well, mostly for the better. We get to do a job that we enjoy and that is different and always changing. We get to challenge ourselves and discover things that noone knew before. We get to explore our own interests and get paid for the pleasure. And we get to visit places we wouldn’t get the chance to otherwise.

      But maybe because of this we also often work long hours (partly because we choose to) and it can be frustrating when you can’t get something to work. So it’s not all fun and happy times, but I’d still say it was more so than most other jobs (if you enjoy it).

      Finally, how does science change life itself (does science change living things)? Well, it depends what science you are doing. In biology, lots of studies aim to find out how things work in nature, so you want to try and do this without changing anything.

      Other areas of science are trying to find out something very specific, and so deliberately change an animal/plant/bacteria to see what effect it has. For instance you can give a bacteria a gene that let’s it feed on something different (or stop the gene from working) and see what happens.

    • Photo: Fiona Heesen

      Fiona Heesen answered on 18 Mar 2014:


      Hi all,

      I don’t think I can add much to the already excellent answers! Science can definitely change lives though – think about the computer as an example (which is my area of research!) – through computers we have all new ways of learning and working that we simply didn’t have before. This program of “I’m a Scientist Get me out of here” simply couldn’t function without a computer, and then by extension the creation of the Internet and the world wide web. And this is just one example – Aled spoke about health research and surgeries that are life changing through science research, and Kevin spoke about the creation of power sources that electricity – science is simply a great process of discovery and reinvention, and even the smallest of breakthroughs can have a big impact.

      Thanks again for your question!

      Fiona 🙂

Comments