What,then,would you say if you discovered that scientists were doing the same thing---not in the interests of medical or agricultural research,but to satisfy their curiosity?They do and I believe it's time society began to ask if we can justify it. I recently came across some research that investigated the way penguins moved.Those of you who watched TV wildlife documentaries will know that penguins waddle when snow is hard and toboggan on their bellies when it's soft.The scientists wanted to know what made the penguins choose between the two alternatives
What, then, would you say if you discovered that scientists were doing the same thing --- not in the interests of medical or agricultural research , but to satisfy their curiosity? They do and I believe it's time society began to ask if we can justify it. I recently came across some research that investigated the way penguins moved. Those of you who watched TV wildlife documentaries will know that penguins waddle when snow is hard and toboggan on their bellies when it's soft. The scientists wanted to know what made the penguins choose between the two alternatives
First they dragged an anaesthetised penguin behind a spring balance to measure how much flipper power it would need to toboggan through the snow.Then they calculated how far its feet sank in soft snow so they could compare the energy expended while sliding with the effort needed to walk. The final question concerned the tradeoff between wear and tear on feathers and the benefits of tobogganing.The only way to do this was to kill the penguin and store it in the snow between periods of dragging its corpse behind the spring balance
First they dragged an anaesthetised penguin behind a spring balance to measure how much flipper power it would need to toboggan through the snow. Then they calculated how far its feet sank in soft snow so they could compare the energy expended while sliding with the effort needed to walk. The final question concerned the tradeoff between wear and tear on feathers and the benefits of tobogganing. The only way to do this was to kill the penguin and store it in the snow between periods of dragging its corpse behind the spring balance
The conclusions the scientists drew from their research were very similar to those that the average TV viewer might have drawn ---depending on snow conditions, penguins choose the method of movement that uses least energy,but tobogganing wears out their feathers,so they need to care for their feathers more often. I have no doubt that the scientists went through a great deal of soul-searching before they killed the penguin.Their work provided hard scientific proof for hypotheses about the way these flightless birds move in the Antarctic environment.It was good science,conducted on our behalf in the best traditions of the discipline for a sound motive--- the advancement of human knowledge---but it makes me feel uneasy
The conclusions the scientists drew from their research were very similar to those that the average TV viewer might have drawn --- depending on snow conditions, penguins choose the method of movement that uses least energy, but tobogganing wears out their feathers, so they need to care for their feathers more often. I have no doubt that the scientists went through a great deal of soul-searching before they killed the penguin. Their work provided hard scientific proof for hypotheses about the way these flightless birds move in the Antarctic environment. It was good science, conducted on our behalf in the best traditions of the discipline for a sound motive--- the advancement of human knowledge---but it makes me feel uneasy
The children and the scientists were engaged in the same pursuit---satisfying their curiosity about how certain creatures move.The child's motive is selfish while the scientist is trained and paid by society to satisfy our collective inquisitive tendencies and add to the sum of human knowledge. Whose motives are most worthy---those of the child or the scientist?The child's methods might be unscientific, but the curiosity that drives him or her is the most valuable asset a researcher can possess and is in the best traditions of pure science.Scientists may have similar motives but they can also be influenced by the need to advance a career. secure grants and develop a reputation in a field of study
The children and the scientists were engaged in the same pursuit---satisfying their curiosity about how certain creatures move. The child's motive is selfish , while the scientist is trained and paid by society to satisfy our collective inquisitive tendencies and add to the sum of human knowledge. Whose motives are most worthy---those of the child or the scientist? The child's methods might be unscientific, but the curiosity that drives him or her is the most valuable asset a researcher can possess and is in the best traditions of pure science. Scientists may have similar motives, but they can also be influenced by the need to advance a career, secure grants and develop a reputation in a field of study