Life As We Know It Nearly Created in Lab

[rock_nog]

Well, belief in God may be the most important thing to them, but my primary concern is the anti-science mentality that comes along with it. I mean, you've got nonsense like intelligent design being taught in schools, or people who refuse to get their children vaccinated because of unfounded fears of autism, or people like Sarah Palin openly mocking research on fruit flies that directly contributes to our understanding of various genetic diseases.

I'm not sure what could be done about it, but I'm concerned because I'm seeing very real consequences as a result of this way of thinking.

[phattonez]

I'd rather have - and I'm sure you'd agree with me on this - students learning the process of science and that nothing is a hard fact. Everything is open to criticism and change. Science steadfastly holds onto nothing. It just goes with the evidence. Teach kids that and then teach them what science has discovered. Don't just teach everything as fact. In the 1800s, it was taught that protein had the genetic material. It would be a shame if we still held onto that notion.

[rock_nog]

Still doesn't justify the teaching of non-science in a science class.

[Pryme8]

now someone needs to come out with tubes of RNA and make it so people in public can make their own "species" to battle it out with other peoples and we watch it all under a microscope.

Its the new giga pet!

[The_Amaster]

or people who refuse to get their children vaccinated because of unfounded fears of autism

Sorry, but I can't let that one pass. My uncle spent his entire life in a bed, able to only barely move his eyes, because a shot he was given shortly after birth irreparably damaged his nervous system. It happens, man.

Yeah, one of the tenets of science that needs to be emphasized more is it's ever changing nature.

[rock_nog]

My apologies... Yes, there are very rarely reactions, but there's no scientific evidence that vaccines are causing an epidemic of autism. Autism rates have gone up, yes, but this is largely because the definition has expanded and people are getting diagnosed with autism who would not have received that diagnosis in prior years. Besides, it has been shown that not using the preservative thought to cause autism has no effect on autism rates.

EDIT: Also, I gotta admit, I want a test tube full of battle-RNA, too.

[Russ]

That's easy. Get sick, and sneeze into your test tube.

Although I will admit, it would be awesome.

[phattonez]

Yeah, one of the tenets of science that needs to be emphasized more is it's ever changing nature.

That's basically what I've been going for here. Everything you get taught in school about science is treated as uncontestable fact that will stand the test of time. No true scientist will admit that about anything. Classic physics is a great example of that. It was thought to explain everything until we got into the more atomic scale of things.

[Beldaran]

No true scientist will admit that about anything.

All true scientists admit this, and are even extremely proud of it.

I don't know what bullshit school you went to, but at my school we learned actual science.

[The_Amaster]

Belderan, the only point Phattonez and I are making is that before Einstein, everyone knew that space and time were distinct. Before Newton, everyone knew that one force pulled things down, and another kept the heavenly bodies in orbit. Before Heisenberg, everyone knew that you could tell exactly where something was, and where it was going.
And yet no-one knows these things today.
Science alway changes.