Why Study Science
May 20, 2015Many people leave high school never wanting to think about biology or science again. It’s boring, hard, gross — just name the reason. This means that, for many, age 14 or 15 ends their exposure. Some continue into a career in science by teaching, researching, inventing, or communicating about science. While others are thrust back into science because they or a loved one gets sick. Cancer, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, or any number of diseases that arise.
For this group, studying science isn’t as much a choice as it is a necessity. They learn the biology of the disease to understand their options, outcomes, and what to expect short or long term.
So, why study science? There are many reasons to do so from trying to understand the best method of weight loss or exercise for you to deciding on a treatment option that will be of must benefit. The internet has helped increase access to all sorts of information. This, obviously, has revolutionized the world. It has, however, also increased the amount of misinformation and downright false information that is misleading or worse. Many science funding organizations have pushed for increased access to scientific articles through open access journals. These are publications with no paid subscriptions. The science is accessible and downloadable by everyone. While this is an improvement in increasing the access, it is still written in a complex language that is, at times, very hard to approach and digest. What can and should be done about this is debated. Is open access beneficial if it it isn’t accessible to the public? Should anything be done about this? This has been a topic of other blog posts and not a topic for here.
Whatever your reason to delve into science, the outcome is the same. Studying science increases knowledge about the world (or the body). It allows you to make informed decisions that are based on fact, not on belief or wishes. Don’t take my word for it – learn for your self. You can gain a new perspective, or even save your life.