Monday, June 27, 2011
The Scientific Mindset
What is science? Scientists and non-scientists alike find themselves asking this question constantly. As a scientist in training, I often find myself pondering the significance of my work. Yet every time I enter the lab, I am astounded and humbled by the natural universe around me. Even in the most seemingly mundane of tasks, I feel as though I am coming a little closer to shedding light on the mysteries of the universe. This may or may not be true, but the scientific spirit is something that I find driving me daily to continue to push the limits of my own personal understanding. Jill Tarter once told me that "The best thing about life as a scientist is that you never get to stop asking 'why?'" It is this curiosity that has led mankind to reach from the deepest depths of the ocean to the farthest threshold of the solar system. This innate sense of exploration and wonder has led all of us to question our place in the universe, and to ponder the possibility of others scattered throughout the vast cosmos in which we feel so isolated. Whether or not my scientific endeavors will lead me to stars (I can only hope that they will), I feel a sense of satisfaction and excitement at being granted the opportunity to at least help in the search for answers. And no matter what the challenge, no matter what the task, I know that ultimately the answer is somewhere out there. It may be lead to even more questions. But it could also lead to a wondrous conclusion and sense of awe never before imagined. Fear not, the quest for truth is ongoing- we will likely never find all the answers. But who truly seeks such a finale? Without curiosity and a lack of knowledge to motivate, there would be no more adventure. And the adventure...well, the adventure is just beginning.
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I remember the first time I learned that most elements heavier than helium (I think...) all came from supernova explosions from billions of years ago... that we are all literal star stuff. For all the carbon, oxygen, nitrogen (and other salacious molecular bits) that our bodies and minds are made of, countless numbers of unknown, unnamed, and unobserved stars had to violently self destruct in order for us to even BE. When you take into account that we are constantly shedding and assimilating atoms, the dead stars that made us a few years ago are most likely completely different than the ones that find us today.
ReplyDeleteTo this day, that simple revelation remains the most awe-inspiring thing I've ever heard and understood.
I could not agree more! Sagan said it best- "We are a way for the Cosmos to know itself"
ReplyDeleteI've got way too much time on my hands this summer and have a few Sagan books on my reading list -- I've only read the first two chapters of Pale Blue Dot so far, but I'm loving it so far! I feel like some sort of science-philosophy book should be mandatory summer reading for new freshman at Cal Poly majoring in the chemical sciences... I remember having to read some bullshit fiction novel about genetically modified potatoes instead. If I would have been assigned something by Carl Sagan, I'm almost positive I would have been MUCH more enthusiastic about science/biochemistry from the start!
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