when would we need science when we grow up.

Question: when would we need science when we grow up.

Asked by bombski to Christine, Edd, Jess, Nicolas, Zara on 17 Jun 2011.
- Edward Codling answered on 10 Jun 2011:
  
  A great question to start with!
  
  I think it is important for everyone to study science for a few reasons:
  
  1. It is important that people can make sense of what is going on in the world around them, particularly at the moment with things like climate change and other global challenges. If you can understand more of the world around you then it can be easier to understand why certain political decisions are made (e.g. extra taxes on carbon emmissions) or how you can make a difference yourself – e.g. by reducing energy use and so on.
  
  Similarly, if you can understand how science works then you can interpret some of the ‘scare stories’ that often occur on TV and in newspapers and can make your own decision about who is right or wrong (usually the truth is somewhere inbetween!).
  
  2. I think studying science really helps you to think in the right way. Asking questions, solving problems, thinking creatively etc are all good skills to have no matter what you end up doing.
  
  3. Finally, I think everyone does science all the time anyway! Whenever you are curious about the world around you and ask yourself a question like ‘I wonder how that works?’ or ‘Why did that happen?’ then you are doing science. Everyone does this every day – it is just that scientists do this in a more formal way and write up all their ideas as part of their job.
- Zara Gladman answered on 11 Jun 2011:
  
  You might not think so when you’re in the classroom, studying hard and stressing out over exams… but science REALLY is useful when you grow up!
  
  Even if you don’t become a scientist, knowing a bit of science is important because it helps you make decisions in everyday life. For example, if you’re in the supermarket and choosing what to have for your dinner, then having a knowledge of which foods are the most nutritious or what ‘organic’ means will help you decide what to buy. If you’ve learned a bit about the environment then that will help you choose products that don’t harm it as much e.g. dolphin-friendly tuna. Knowing about science can help you understand issues that come up in the news: every day there’s hundreds of science headlines, on DNA, new drugs, climate change, invasive species, genetically modified food… many of these advances in science will affect your life directly! It’s useful to know the science behind the stories.
  
  Finally, science teaches you to ask questions and challenge yourself and others. Knowing a bit of science gives you have a greater appreciation for the amazing world around you! 8)
- Jessica Chu answered on 12 Jun 2011:
  
  Hiya,
  
  I thought about these sort of questions when I was younger too but for different subjects!
  
  Well Edd and Zara have covered a lot of what I wanted to say too so here is just another idea?
  
  I think in every subject, you get to develop different skills.
  I think in science you learn to analyse yours or others’ results, think critically and be fair.
  
  If one day you decide to read the newspaper or magazine and inside they were talking about a survey that they have done about “How fit and healthy is the average person in the UK?”.
  And you have noticed the person only asked 50 people in Nottingham and Birmingham (which is an extremely small sample size if they want to find out the average person in the UK.. and Nottingham and Birmingham are just two cites in the UK… what about London, Manchester, Liverpool???) so straight away you can think that the findings in this survey will not be answering the question proposed.
  
  Secondly they might mention that the survey was held just outside a big fitness centre so this is not going to give you a fair answer because you will assume people that goes to the gym are exercising at least once a week so generally quite fit and healthy so prehaps not the average person in the UK (like me!!!).
  
  For me I find that when my doctor prescibed me a cream for my elbow eczema (dry skin condition) I will be curious to find out how and why it works inside your body. Also why some eczema cream contain steroid in it and others don’t if they are used to treat the same condition.
- Nicolas Biber answered on 17 Jun 2011:
  
  I wanted to answer this question long ago, now I finally get around to it.
  I like to look at science not just as the job we and other scientists do, but more like the desire to ask questions and find an answer to them. Everyone can do that, and so anyone can be a scientist in their way. As long as you keep up you curiosity and try to find answers to questions, you are doing science. Now how is that useful? For a start I think that ‘knowing’ is better than ‘believing’. You already notice that when you try to make a point to someone. Doesn’t it sound a lot more believable when you can say ‘I have found out’ rather than ‘someone told me’? Getting to the bottom of questions is an ability everyone has and everyone should make use of simply because knowledge helps us survive. You don’t only need science when you grow up, you need it all the time, and you are making good use of it 🙂

Question: when would we need science when we grow up.

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