Natural Science Concepts Part 1-Scientific

Natural Science Concepts

PART 1-Scientific Concept

One specific scientific phenomenon for which our understanding has changed over time based on new knowledge / learning / information / understanding is represented by genetics. This discipline, just like the names suggests it, is the science of the genes. It analyzes heredity and various problems that the human organism (and not only) might encounter. Taking a look at the development of this science, it is clear to see that the information available in the sector now differs tremendously from what people knew during the antiquity for example. The difference in terms of quality of the available knowledge is huge even compared to just fifty years ago. From this we deduce that the discipline develops together with the other aspects of society, such as the technological one. In the 1800s people had very little interest in genetics. They suspected that certain traits which people showed were inherited from their parents who had inherited them from their parents, etc., but there was little information regarding the how and why. As people came to know more, they became capable of asking themselves more questions regarding the issue, such as "how could we use genetic information to cure diseases?," "is it possible to improve our condition?," "can we stay young for longer?" And eventually "can we create other beings in the lab?"

Example number 1. George Mendel was the first researcher in the field to discover that people could actually know the characteristics that the successors of a living entity would have. In the 1800s, it was generally believed that the environment plays a fundamental role upon the development of the living things. Mendel found some plants in his environment that he considered to be unusual. He took them and planted them right next to the common ones. He observed that the neighborhood did not affect the characteristics of the offspring and this is how the idea of heredity was born. This revolutionary discovery changed the manner in which people lived, since they knew where to look for the causes of certain phenomena.

Example number 2. In the 20th century, Watson and Crick's work provided humanity with the possibility to know the structure of DNA. This represented a huge step from the researcher previously discussed. The new discovery allowed people t understand how and why diseases were born. Furthermore, knowing that allowed them to create proper medicine to cure those diseases. Understanding that individuals are different because they have a different genetic inheritance changed the vision on how a person with health conditions ought to be treated. Nowadays, diseases which were untreatable 80 years ago are treatable thanks to this discovery.

Example number 3. A third example which illustrates the manner in which knowledge and understanding develop through time is represented by the Human Genome project. Among the purposes of the project we could mention the intention to "identify all the approximately 20,000-25,000 genes in human DNA" and to "determine the sequences of the 3 billion chemical base pairs that make up human DNA" (www.ornl.gov). These information, applied not only on the human body allows people to understand how nature can be used in order to cure diseases and even lead a better, healthier life.u

PART 2-Historical Event

A specific historical event which has added to our understanding of certain aspects of the natural world is represented by the Chernobyl disaster. Which occurred in 1986. "The accident caused the largest uncontrolled radioactive release into the environment ever recorded for any civilian operation, and large quantities of radioactive substances were released into the air for about 10 days." (www.world-nuclear.org) in the period in which the accident took place, many countries were undergoing development processes. The international trend included an increased trust in the use of science and technology. Locally, while the importance of the central was understood, the same thing could not be stated about the risks it involved. It is believed that the accident was caused due to the lack of proper preparation of the workers.

The consequences of the explosion included the death of thirty workers and the contamination with thyroid cancer of many other people, especially children. The people who lived in the plant area were evacuated, although some of them returned to live there. People learned that in the absence of proper management of technology and substances, they can turn against us. The most important aspects which humanity has learned from the Chernobyl disaster were the environmental effects and the occurrence of cancer.

The first example refers to the contamination of the environment. It is safe to assert that people did not have a complete comprehension of the extent to which the accident had negatively impacted the surrounding environment. They knew however that the soil was contaminated and they consequently evacuated all the people living there. Humanity learned that energies which can be used for positive purposes may result disastrous if not handled well.