Thursday, April 19, 2012

Questions

Scientists are taught to ask lots and lots of questions. One of the first things we learned in freshman biology was the scientific method. The scientific method is constructed around asking questions, it's actually the first step. Without a question, how will a person be driven to do an experiment?

Source: http://www.sciencebuddies.org/mentoring/project_scientific_method.shtml

Part of understanding the goals of science is to realize that the questions we ask may never be answered, maybe because there is no answer. In one of my current classes we had a discussion about whether or not science can answer everything and the truth is that it cannot. At least not in today's world. Nothing can be proven 100% because we cannot test every single object on this earth to see if it fits our hypothesis. For many of our categories there are exceptions, for instance the Platypus is considered a mammal even though it lays eggs. There will almost always be an exception.

Answer to yesterday's question: It turns out that some amino acids in a protein's primary structure do not matter. As long as what it is changed to is either around the same size and/or polarity, the protein will not be effected. Other amino acids will greatly effect the protein: if it is necessary for a small amino acid to be at a certain spot on the chain and it gets switched out for a larger one, the protein will not be able to work correctly. It all depends on the location, size, and/or polarity.

Today's question is more of a though provoking one. There is no right or wrong answer. Do you think that one day science will have the ability to answer everything?

6 comments:

Miss H said...

Ah yes, I'm all too aware of the Scientific Method lol!

Gossip_Grl said...

Nice posting and it would be so easy if science could explain and answer everything to the universe, but understandable that it can't.

loverofwords said...

No, it cannot, but we need to keep asking questions because we will find some answers, not all. Good question!

judysnwnotes said...

nice blog! Glad I stopped by for a visit -- Questions are great - necessary - tools for all writers and as with scientific questions, the answers are never "certain" and "final"

Which, of course, answers your question of the day -- No way that "everything" will be answered but we uncover more every day

Jake and Terri said...

It seems that questions often lead to more questions! Great post!

Melanie said...

Ooooh, I wish I had a science teacher who explained science the way you do - very clear and fascinating!