Travel the universe with Dr. Ethan Siegel as he answers the biggest questions of all
Did you go to one of the 600+ science marches across the globe? Here’s why the cause matters.
“We’ve arranged a global civilization in which most crucial elements profoundly depend on science and technology. We have also arranged things so that almost no one understands science and technology. This is a prescription for disaster. We might get away with it for a while, but sooner or later this combustible mixture of ignorance and power is going to blow up in our faces.” –Carl Sagan
1.) Because understanding the mechanisms of biology, health, and disease are the keys to living longer, better, more successful lives.
Science and technology has permeated every facet of our existence, from medicine to agriculture to communications to transportation to industrial manufacturing and fabrication. Image credit: IWMedien of Pixabay.
2.) Because the high quality of life we enjoy today — computers, GPS, internet, televisions, etc. — are direct results of investing in science.
GPS satellites are indispensable in daily life, from mapping services to location tracking to being able to find your nearest Pokemon. This NASA illustration shows the GPS Block II-F satellite in Earth orbit. Image credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
3.) Because clean air, safe drinking water, healthy food, and our world’s natural resources are valuable to us all.
The Grand Canyon, as viewed from Pima Point, with the Colorado River running through it. Image credit: Wikimedia Commons user Chensiyuan.
4.) Because we don’t know it all, and scientific investigation is the best way to uncover the answers to our greatest intellectual mysteries.
Closed-loop therapies which continuously monitor, record and display neuronal activity alongside neural stimulation are remarkable tools for helping those with PTSD and related traumas. This image is a map from part of DARPA’s Systems-Based Neurotechnology for Emerging Therapies (SUBNETS) program. Image credit: Massachusetts General Hospital and Draper Labs.
5.) Because we want to know more about the origin of life, how the brain works, dark matter, the Big Bang and more.
Our Universe, from the hot Big Bang until the present day, underwent a huge amount of growth and evolution, and continues to do so. Image credit: NASA / CXC / M.Weiss.
6.) Because being wrong isn’t necessarily bad, but it’s disastrous if we fail to change our actions when new information becomes available.
A Somali boy receives a polio vaccination in 1993. Image credit: PV2 Andrew W. McGalliard, U.S. Military.
7.) Because vaccinations save lives, humans are causing climate change, and the Earth is really, truly not flat.
The Earth, as seen rising over the lunar limb in a location where the Sun is just barely incident on the Moon’s surface. Image credit: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA / NHK, Kaguya (Selene).
8.) Because pursuing fundamental scientific truths is more valuable than selecting the evidence that supports our biases.
The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite senses temperature using infrared wavelengths. This image shows temperature of the Earth’s surface or clouds covering it for the month of April 2003. The scale ranges from -81 degrees Celsius (-114° Fahrenheit) in black/blue to 47° C (116° F) in red. Higher latitudes are increasingly obscured by clouds, though some features like the Great Lakes are apparent. Northernmost Europe and Eurasia are completely obscured by clouds, while Antarctica stands out cold and clear at the bottom of the image. Image credit: NASA / AIRS.
9.) Because humans are powerful and numerous enough to affect the entire planet, and we’re doing exactly that.
At an average warming rate of 0.07º C per decade, the Earth’s temperature has not only increased, but continues to increase without any relief in sight. Image credit: NOAA National Centers for Environmental information, Climate at a Glance: Global Time Series.
10.) And because scientists draw conclusions based on evidence, and the evidence is undeniable. That’s why we march.
Mostly Mute Monday tells a scientific story in images, visuals and no more than 200 words.
Amidst the recent discovery of super-Earth LHS 1140b – one of the “most exciting” exoplanets discovered in the last decade – a unique scientific crowdsourcing project is about to begin to further advance the search for new planets.
