HOW-TO-MAKE-SENSE-OUT-OF-SCIENCE

HOWTOMAKESENSEOUTOFSCIENCEnewdrugskillcancerldevastionbyE1Nino--awarning6:30p.m.October26.2028:Couldthisbethedeadlinefortheapocalypse?whentheseheadlineappearedthisyear,theirstoriesbecamethesubjectsofconversationsaroundtheworld-taksspicedwithopimismandconfusion.imaginethehopesrainsedinthemillionsbattlingcancer.didthenewsmeanthesepeopleneverhadtoworryaboutcanceragain?orthatweallhadtoworryaboutacatastrophefromouterspaceor,moreimmediately,frome1nino?unfortunately,sciencedoesn'tworkthatway.itrarelyarrivesatfinalanswers.peoplebattlingcancerorvictimsofe1ninomayfindthisfrustrating(cause(sb.)tofeeldiscouragedordisappointed;prevent(sb.)fromdoingorachievingsth),butthetruthisthatnaturedoesnotyield(reveal;produceorprovide)hersecretseasily.scienceisdonestepbystep.firstanideaisformed.thenthisistestedbyanexperiment.theoutcome,onehopes,resultsinanincreaseinknowledge.scienceisnotasetofunquestionableresultsbutawayofunderstandingtheworldaroundus.itsrealworkisslow.(1)thescientificmethod,asmanyofuslearnedinschool,isagradualprocessthatbeginswithapurposeoraproblemorquestiontobeanswered.itincludesalistofmaterials,aproceduretofollow,asetofobservationstomakeand,finally,conclusionstoreach.inmedicine,whenanewdrugisproposedthatmightcureorcontroladisease,itisfirsttestedonalargerandomgroupofpeople,andtheirreactionsarethencomparedwiththoseofanotherrandomgroupnotgivethedrug.allreactionsinbothgroupsarecarefullyrecordedandcompared,andthedrugisevaluated(assess).allofthistakestime--andpatience.it'stheresultofcourse.thatmakesthebestnews--nottheyearsofquietworkthatcharacterizethebulk(themainorlargestpart;(largenessof)size)ofscientificinquiry.afteranexperimentisconcludedoranobservationismade,theresultcontinuestobeexaminedcritically.whenitissubmittedforpublication,itgoestoagroupofthescientist'scolleagues,whoreviewthework.iftheworkisimportantenough,justbeforethereportispublishedinaprofessionaljournalorreadataconference,apressreleaseisissuedandanannouncementismadetotheworld.theworldmaythinkthattheannouncementsignifiestheendoftheprocess,butitdoesn't.apublicationisreallyachallenge:hereismyresult.provemewrong!(2)otherreseacherswilltrytorepeattheexperiment,andthemoreoftenitworks,thebetterthechancesthattheresultissound.einsteinwasrightwhenhesaid:noamountofexperimentatiioncaneverprovemeright;asingleexperimentcanatanytimeprovemewrong.inaugust1996,nasaannouncedthediscoveryinantarcticaofameteoritefrommarsthatmightcontainevidencofancientlifeonanotherworld.(3)aspresidentclintonsaidthatday,thepossibilitythatlifeexistedonmarsbillionsofyearsagowaspotentiallyoneofthegreatdiscoveriesofourtime.aftertheexcitementworedownandinitialpaperswerepublished,otherreseachersbeganlookingatsamplesfromthesamemeteorite.(4)someconcludedthattheevidenceoflifewasmostlycontaminationfromantarcticiceorthattherewasnothingorganicatallintherock.wasthisafailureofscience,assomenewsreportstrumpeted?no!itwasagoodexampleofthescientificmethodworkingthewayitissupportedto.scientistsspendyearsonreseach,announcetheirfindings,andthesefindingsareexaminedbyotherscientists.that'showwelearn.likeclimbingamountain,westruggleupthreefeetandfallbacktwo.it'saprocessfilledwithdisappointmentsandreverses,butsomehowwekeepmovingahead.