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The Science of Science!
What is Science!?
First of all, Science! is not the same as science.
Science! is the study and knowledge of all things
scientific, quasiscientific, or pseudoscientific. Anything that
is obscure, incoherent, or improbable is made clear by the
purveyor of Science! (also known as the
Scientist!). The Scientist! has access to
knowledge that even scientists do not have access to. They are
truly the masters of all that is True and Scientific!
There are 3 characteristics of the practitioner of
Science!
They always work alone. Scientists usually have teams of
other scientists and technicians working with them. The
Scientist!, on the other hand, works alone, in their own,
small, often home-built, laboratory. The laboratory will be
filled with various whirring, clicking, blinking, or bubbling
pieces of lab equipment which appear to have no purpose since
the Scientist! never touches them.
They work fast. In real science, scientists develop
theories, test their theories, and then modify or abandon the
theories as the evidence evolves. The process often takes years,
if not a lifetime. In Science! the Scientist! gets
his or her answer in a matter of days (or hours, or weeks, or
minutes, depending on what timeframe is most dramatic). Usually,
the Scientist! gets a bright idea, runs to the lab to
test the theory, and then comes back with an unexpected, but
clearly genius, answer to the mystery/problem/question in record
time.
They are always right. Everyone else is always wrong. In
real science, peer review is a critical part of the scientific
process. In Science! peer review is not only unessecary,
but is detrimental. Mainstream scientists never accept what the
Scientist! has to say until events prove them to be
soundly (and often, fatally) wrong.
Television, movies, and literature are full of practitioners of
Science! One of the best example is the Professor in the
TV Series "Gilligan's Isle." Does anyone know what he was a
professor of? That's right! He was a Professor of
Science! The professor understood everything from
primative cultures, to weather phenomena, to electromechanics,
to astronomy. A master of Science!, he could do almost
anything (except patch a hole in a boat).
Science! has evolved over time. In the 50's and 60's, the
Scientist! was a
non-specialist (and usually male).
Science! gave him mastery over every possible field of
study (much like the professor in "Gilligan's Isle"). In modern
times, the Scientist! is more likely to be a specialist,
to acknowledge that, in the real world, most scientists
are specialists. What they get wrong, however, undermines
the one thing they tried to get right. For example, in the TV
show Stargate SG-1. The character of Sam Carter is a
Scientist! specializing in physics, while Daniel Jackson
is a Scientist! specializing in archaeology. They both
(especially Sam) have the attributes of the Scientist!,
however. 1) They work alone, 2) they solve the mysteries of the
universe in a few hours or days, and 3) most of the other
scientists (when they show up with a theory) are wrong.
Another example of a modern Scientist! is the
protagonist, Robert Langdon, in The DaVinci Code.
Although Langdon deviates slightly from the typical
Scientist! (the typical Scientist! is alone in his
beliefs, but Langdon actually has the support of many of his
peers), in other ways he is the same. He manages to solve the
great mystery in the course of an evening, and there is never,
at any time, a question that he may actually be WRONG in his
beliefs.
And so, this is Science!. It is a product of movies,
television, and literature, and it is real, in the sense that
perception is reality. People think that all real science is
done by lone geniuses who try to buck the system that keeps them
down. If you ask most people, they will probably say that we
would have flying cars and robots by now if it weren't for the
scientific community hobbling the handful of geniuses in their
midst. It is this mindset that has led to the proliferation of
pseudoscience, and theories such as Intelligent Design. The best
defense against the growing misconception of what science is and
what scientists do, is education. We need to teach our children,
and our adults, that Hollywood is Hollywood, and that a
Hollywood Scientist! has as much basis in reality as a
Hollywood action hero.
About the author:
Terry Connors is a Gen-X family guy with 2 step-kids and a
loving wife. He frequently blogs about current events,
especially if there is a scientific angle to the news items. You
can read more of his writings at: Another Stupid News Blog -
http://news.virtualdominion.net.
All work is copyright, Terry Connors 2005
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| Science/AAAS | Scientific research, news and career information |
| International weekly science journal, published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). |
| www.sciencemag.org |
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| Science/AAAS | Table of Contents: 1 December 2006; 314 (5804) |
| This Week in Science: Editor summaries of this week's papers. Science 1 December 2006: 1349. ... 2006 American Association for the Advancement of Science. ... |
| www.sciencemag.org |
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| Science.gov : FirstGov for Science - Government Science Portal |
| Science.gov is a gateway to government science information provided by US Government science agencies, including research and development results. |
| www.science.gov |
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| ScienceDaily: Your source for the latest research news and science ... |
| ScienceDaily -- the Internet's premier online science magazine and science news web site -- brings you the latest discoveries in science, health & medicine, ... |
| www.sciencedaily.com |
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| Science News - New York Times |
| Find breaking news, science news & multimedia on biology, space, the environment, health, NASA, weather, drugs, heart disease, cancer, AIDS, mental health ... |
| www.nytimes.com |
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| Science News Online |
| Weekly magazine offers featured articles from the current issue along with special online-only features. Includes photo collection, archives, ... |
| www.sciencenews.org |
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| Science in the Yahoo! Directory |
| Explore the fields of astronomy, biology, geology, mathematics, and physics and all of their related disciplines with resources designed for professionals, ... |
| dir.yahoo.com |
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| Open Directory - Science |
| Agriculture (2454); Anomalies and Alternative Science (525); Astronomy (4208); Biology (20593); Chemistry (4852); Computer Science@ (2358) ... |
| dmoz.org |
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| BBC - Science & Nature |
| The best of BBC Science and Nature, from TV and radio, to the web and beyond. Take a tour from the smallest atoms, to the largest whales and the most ... |
| www.bbc.co.uk |
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| Science - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
| Sciences versus Science: the plural of the term is often used but is difficult to ... Science education is also a very vibrant field of study and research. ... |
| en.wikipedia.org |
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| Popular Science |
| Monthly magazine about current science and technology. |
| www.popsci.com |
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| Science/AAAS | ScienceNOW: The Latest News Headlines from the ... |
| AAAS web magazine. Some free sample stories, subscription required for full text. |
| sciencenow.sciencemag.org |
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| ScienceCareers.org | Science Jobs, Funding, Meetings, and Advice ... |
| Searchable database of jobs, sorted by field specialty. Can post resume and curriculum vitae. Includes tips for improving the workplace for employers and ... |
| sciencecareers.sciencemag.org |
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| American Association for the Advancement of Science |
| Research news, issue papers. Educational programs, science policy (US and international). |
| www.aaas.org |
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| NASA - Science@NASA |
| News and features about NASA research, aimed at the general public. Includes sections on astronomy, space science, beyond rocketry, living in space, ... |
| science.nasa.gov |
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| Science NetLinks: Resources for Teaching Science |
| Resources for K-12 science educators. |
| www.sciencenetlinks.com |
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| Cool Science for Curious Kids |
| Fun and interactive site to help kids appreciate science. Why are snakes like lizards, and monkeys like moose? Find out here. |
| www.hhmi.org |
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| Welcome to the Science Museum |
| London museum and library of science. Exhibitions cover all areas of science and technology. Includes online exhibits and a learning area. |
| www.sciencemuseum.org.uk |
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| New Scientist - International News, Ideas, Innovation |
| Weekly science and technology news magazine, considered by some to be the world's best, with diverse subject matter. Articles from current issue and ... |
| www.newscientist.com |
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| CNN.com - Science and Space |
| Offers news stories related environmental issues, archeology, astronomy, technology, geology and other science topics. |
| www.cnn.com |
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