Science & Politics

Science and politics are two areas that are constantly finding new ways to overlap. Issues such as abortion, cloning, and stem cell research are currently at the forefront of political debates, but they are based in science. This interconnected relationship shows how important it is to have scientific background knowledge, because whether you are planning to be a scientist, a politician, or just an average U.S. citizen, this knowledge is necessary in order to be an active, informed member of society. 

Nuclear Power

Personally, I don't think nuclear power is a good idea. For one, it seems rather dangerous. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't feel particularly comfortable living by a nuclear power plant. Also, I'm concerned about the effect nuclear power would have on the environment. Couldn't it cause pollution? And don't we have enough of that already?

I understand our desperate need for new energy sources, but I'm just not sure this is the right one. Or, maybe, scientists could find a better plan for housing the nuclear power, and then maybe I could be convinced.

Quantum Mechanics

Quantum mechanics totally confused me. I'm pretty easily confused when it comes to most areas of science, but this was definitely the most complicated scientific subject I've learned about so far. I think the most difficult concept for me to grasp was the one about how electrons are in one place at one time, and then they suddenly appear somewhere else, without seeming to travel through the space in between. That seems to defy so many rules and just doesn't make any sense to me. My only comfort is knowing that even scientists struggle to comprehend quantum mechanics.

I don't feel like I can really formulate an opinion on the matter of quantum mechanics because I really don't understand much of it at all. I guess, as of now, my position is that I don't disagree with the theories behind it, but the processes behind the theories are still rather unclear to me.

Video Response

Wow! To be honest, I expected that video to be much more, for lack of a better word, "scientific", and much less interesting. Instead, I was left shocked and amazed by all the things going on in the world that I've been completely unaware of! Seriously, I got goosebumps while watching it. I can't tell if the video made me feel insignificant or inspired...maybe a combination of the two. I had no idea that so many discoveries have been made in the past year alone!

In a way, the video made me feel optimistic, because it seems that the human race's knowledge base is exponentially expanding, which will hopefully lead to further innovation and improvement. On the other hand, some of the statistics really worried me. The one that sticks out most in my head was something like "1 out of 8 couples married in the U.S. last year met online." Is that where our society is heading? Is my generation going to depend on the internet to connect to other people, rather than going out into the world and having face-to-face interaction?

Regardless of the concerns the video raised, I think the topics covered were things that we can all relate to and extract meaning from. Whether it inspired you, astounded you, or scared you to death, I'm willing to bet every single viewer was moved by that video.

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