Science: Assets and Liabilities

Nowadays, science has taken over the world like wildfire. Every other thing in our lives today is somehow linked to innovation - be it the car you use to get to work or simply the pen that you write with; life without science is unimaginable. The progress we’ve made in the field of health services is extraordinary. Today, everything can be controlled via our fingertips while being seated on the couch. Nevertheless, science has also turned out to be disastrous at times, leading to events such as environmental degradation and possibly nuclear war outbreaks. 

Health infrastructures, at the current time, are more advanced than ever before. Pharmaceutical progress has been worth noticing in fighting diseases like the covid virus. Likewise, disease such as Polio have been virtually eliminated, all of which could not have been possible without scientific studies and research. Many lives are saved each year due to various processes such as organ transplantation. The world has recently witnessed the first successful head transplant , giving hope to thousands of individuals with deformities . Such scientific developments have made lives easier for thousands of people by easing medical scenarios. 

Solving mysteries and serving authentic facts to the general public is the main objective of science. Science has revealed many mysteries and has provided us with the truth about the universe and everything within. A perfect example would be the Sailing Stones in Death Valley, Although people believed it was the remains of a UFO crash or mysterious unseen hands that moved the rocks, scientists later figured out how the wind and flowing water had moved the rock weighing over 300 kgs. Likewise, science has unraveled many such queries that help in creating a better world. 

The invention of gadgets such as smartphone and laptops provide mankind with a range of options, all of which weren’t easily available in the past. A man can now know about the things happening around the globe, by just browsing the internet. Electronic appliances such as the washing machine or the dishwasher provide us with more time by doing our work for us. Similarly, through e-commerce, trading goods have been much more convenient since the products are delivered to the doorstep. All these enhancements in the field of science provide us with a comfortable and luxurious lifestyle.

Environmental degradation is another vital factor directly linked to science and its activities. All the machinery that we use has a certain impact on the environment, most of which is negative. The application of devices such as refrigerators and air conditioners releases CFCs that degrade the ozone layer, resulting in climate change. Likewise, testing nuclear weapons sometimes causes devastating outcomes such as an earthquake. The use of cars releases smoke into the environment, which too leads to pollution and environmental hazards. Likewise, bringing technologies into use for activities like mining alters the soil’s natural state. Hence, science can sometimes lead to destruction. 

Nuclear inventions have been rapid in the past few years. In recent years, world superpower countries like China and the USA have put their scientific resources into use for building nuclear weapons. Furthermore, the excessive testing of nuclear missiles by North Korea has threatened the lives of people around the area. Such activities create fear among people throughout the world. Likewise, incidents like Chernobyl , which occurred due to scientific and technological failure, can have devastating effects on nearby places and people in the surroundings when high radiation is emitted. Hence, advancement in the technological field may result in destructive outcomes at times. 

According to different research, it is predicted that scientific innovations will be able to perform all human tasks within 2065 AD. Under such circumstances, the rate of unemployment will skyrocket. Science will take over the fields such as medicine and agriculture. 

The crisis of unemployment is directly proportional to the low living standard of people. Innovations such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) pose a potentially existential threat to mankind, when out of control. Those who control the gadgets will become the emperor, whereas, the others will become a bondsman. The globe influenced by science, thus, may not be as beautiful as it may seem.

Science has provided the world with so many things that weren’t present in the non-scientific era. All these things, however, might be harmful to mankind when overdone. Science has surely turned our lives more comfortable, while also surprisingly side-by-side complicating it.