WHAT IS SCIENCE ABOUT?
JHOANA MAE G. MANGULABNAN
What is Science? According to the dictionary, science is “a systematically organized body of knowledge on a particular subject.” Given that meaning, one can assume that science is a simple way to understand things. What causes rain? Where do rocks come from? What makes the earth revolve around the sun? Science answers all these questions and goes further by explaining why.
Science is everywhere. It is in everything we see, think, and experience. It helps us get a better understanding of the things around us and even affects everything that we do. For example, in cooking, we know that food becomes cooked when heat is applied. We also know that the mixture of different ingredients results to different tastes. We know that sugar adds sweetness and salt adds saltiness. Moreover, science is also present when we choose our clothes. We know certain clothes suit certain weather. If it is raining, we wear rubber boots because we know that rainwater cannot penetrate rubber. Although science is responsible for building spaceships, travelling to outer space, and walking on the moon—the way it affects us can also be manifested in small little mundane things.
The medicine that we take every time that we are sick. The devices that the doctors use to check our body. The different technologies that we have in our home such as television, refrigerator, radio, speakers, mobile phone and computer are all products of science. It is truly magnificent how science changed our lives. From sending letters to emails, now it is more advanced, we can now see our relatives from far places with just the use of cellphone via videocall. We can talk face to face and real time as long as we have internet connection. Special memories and moments can now be recalled and stored using photos and videos. The different information that can only be found when you search through books from the library can now be found with just one click from the internet. Deep sea and outer space exploration is now possible with the use of different robots built just for that purpose. We now have smart tv, smart watch, smart phones etc. that we use in our daily lives. That is how science changed our way of living. It made a lot of job easier for us.
Carl Edward Sagan, an American astrophysicist, astrobiologist, and an author amongst other things, defined science “as a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge.” In present times, we have so much knowledge and information in the palm of our hands thanks to all the scientist who didn’t merely accept things as they are, but also questioned why. However, if we do not apply all these learnings to our everyday lives, then we do not fully utilize their efforts. Science is more than just understanding the technicality of things but also knowing the practical implications and different applications we can draw from these things. Utilizing science can make our life more comfortable. It can help us in many ways, we just need to understand how science works.
-oOoTHE AUTHOR IS TEACHER I AT MINALUNGAO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL