The 2010s were the decade in which we were reminded that science is just a method, like the rhythm method. And just like the rhythm method, it can be more or less rigorously applied, sabotaged, overrated, underrated and ignored. If you dont treat it with respect, you may not get the optimal result, but thats not the methods fault.
That may be where the similarities end, because when its done well, science is very effective, and this decade furnished its fair share of breakthroughs to make us gasp. Physicists detected phenomena that were predicted decades ago gravitational waves, the Higgs boson particle indicating that they have been on broadly the right track in their understanding of how the universe works. Astronomers added awe-inspiring detail. Nasa probes found towering ice mountains on Pluto and organic chemistry the stuff of life on Mars and a moon of Saturn. And who could forget the exoplanets those planets orbiting distant stars? Thousands of them were discovered in just the past 10 years. No wonder science fiction is booming.
Biologists didnt slack either. They honed an immunological defence mechanism found in bacteria, Crispr-Cas9, into a powerful gene-editing tool that works in plants and animals including humans. They added several new ancestors to the human family tree and discovered ghostly traces of others as yet unseen and unnamed. And very old DNA started giving up its secrets, after researchers succeeded in extracting it from ancient bodily remains and sequencing it. This threw open a huge window on our species past, revealing that every person alive today is the product of multiple migrations and that relations between different waves of migration have always been complicated. Neanderthals and modern humans probably clobbered each other, for example, but they also interbred.
But this was also the decade in which science was commandeered by all kinds of people with political, social and economic axes to grind. Ancient DNA researchers understood early on the potential for their discoveries to be politicised the science of human origins always has been but they still werent able to fully control the message. Thus we learned about white supremacists engaging in sinister milk-chugging parties in America, supposedly designed to smoke out people of non-European heritage who cant digest lactose, and baseless claims made by some Hindu nationalists that the speakers of the original Indo-European language hailed from the Indian subcontinent. Ancient DNA researchers themselves were accused of engaging in an undignified bone rush, and disrespecting indigenous remains.
Dissing the dead is one thing, dissing the living quite another. The world was shocked when, in 2018, the Chinese biophysicist He Jiankui announced he had used Crispr to edit the genomes of twin girls the first humans born with edited DNA they can pass on. Ethical concerns were raised over whos entitled to know what about private health records as genetic testing becomes mainstream, and over the prohibitive pricing of gene therapies after the first of these was approved in 2012 then taken off the market.
We welcomed the boon of artificial intelligence the fruit of massively increased computing power, cheap memory, advances in data management and new maths and statistics and fretted over its potential negative impact on us.
The first vaccine against Ebola was approved. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where Ebola continues to rage, health workers are battling not only the disease, but also hesitation about getting vaccinated. This is now a global problem, and though the reasons for it are complicated and vary according to who is hesitating in the UK and US Andrew Wakefield has a lot to answer for. He abused the scientific method in a previous decade, when he made false claims about a link between the MMR vaccine and autism. Fear of vaccines has come home to roost most visibly, in the form of a global resurgence of measles. Its not all down to him, though. Weve been so well served by vaccines that relatively few people alive today remember what life was like before them how, for example, people wept with joy when Jonas Salks polio vaccine was announced in 1955.
We heard a lot in this decade about how trust in experts has waned, but its difficult to know how much of that perception is real and how much of it comes down to minority opinions bellowed through the sousaphone of social media. In 2019, the US-based organisation Scholars at Risk reported that attacks on higher education communities had more than doubled globally over the previous three years ranging from restrictions on academic expression to wrongful imprisonment and even violence. On the other hand, surveys suggest that trust in scientists is quite stable over the long term, and science funding has been slowly increasing in the worlds richest countries.
Taken together, perhaps what these indicators reflect is that, like the rhythm method, the scientific method is one we should be glad to have in our armoury, but that both have the potential to wreak havoc in the context of a toxic relationship.
Laura Spinney is a science journalist based in Paris. Her latest book is Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How it Changed the World
See more here:
Science made astonishing progress. It was also hijacked by those with an axe to grind - The Guardian
- Age-related genetic changes in the blood associated with poor cancer prognosis - Medical Xpress - April 24th, 2025
- Parts of our DNA may evolve much faster than previously thought - The University of Utah - April 24th, 2025
- It runs in the family: the importance of genetics in pneumothorax - The BMJ - April 24th, 2025
- Inferring past demography and genetic adaptation in Spain using the GCAT cohort - Nature - April 24th, 2025
- Answers to a 160-year-old riddle about the genetics of Mendels pea traits - Nature - April 24th, 2025
- Towards a genetic obesity risk score in a single-center study of children and adolescents with obesity - Nature - April 24th, 2025
- Pan-genomic analysis highlights genes associated with agronomic traits and enhances genomics-assisted breeding in alfalfa - Nature - April 24th, 2025
- Study highlights critical diversity gap in psychiatric genomics research - Medical Xpress - April 24th, 2025
- Daily briefing: Potato pangenome reveals the complex genetics of the humble spud - Nature - April 24th, 2025
- Genetic diversity and adaptability of native sheep breeds from different climatic zones - Nature - April 24th, 2025
- Ginkgo Automation Partners with Aura Genetics to Accelerate Direct-to-Consumer Testing and Innovation - PR Newswire - April 24th, 2025
- Why Sarepta Therapeutics And Other Genetics Stocks Just Got A Sizable Boost - Investor's Business Daily - April 24th, 2025
- Why White Blood Cells were used to study genetic past and future of Indians - India Today - April 24th, 2025
- Association between plausible genetic factors and weight loss from GLP1-RA and bariatric surgery - Nature - April 24th, 2025
- Recent habitat modification of a tropical dry forest hotspot drives population genetic divergence in the Mexican leaf frog: a landscape genetics... - April 24th, 2025
- Barney's Farm Partners with Backpackboyz on Groundbreaking Cannabis Genetics Project - Ganjapreneur - Ganjapreneur - April 24th, 2025
- U.S. Preimplantation Genetic Testing Market Witness the Highest Growth Globally in Coming Years 2025-2034 - openPR.com - April 24th, 2025
- Exploring the implications of case selection methods for psychiatric molecular genetic studies - Nature - April 24th, 2025
- Genetic susceptibility to schizophrenia through neuroinflammatory pathways associated with retinal thinness - Nature - April 24th, 2025
- Who Were the Carthaginians? Ancient DNA Study Reveals a Stunning Answer - Haaretz - April 24th, 2025
- Genetics - National Geographic Society - March 28th, 2025
- Genetics: Introduction, law of inheritance and Sex Determination - BYJU'S - March 28th, 2025
- Genetics, ecology and evolution of phage satellites - Nature.com - March 28th, 2025
- As a geneticist, I will not mourn 23andMe and its jumble of useless health information | Adam Rutherford - The Guardian - March 28th, 2025
- Rare loss-of-function variants in HECTD2 and AKAP11 confer risk of bipolar disorder - Nature.com - March 28th, 2025
- With 23andMe filing for bankruptcy, what happens to consumers genetic data? - The Conversation Indonesia - March 28th, 2025
- A genetic tree as a movie: Moving beyond the still portrait of ancestry - Phys.org - March 28th, 2025
- Genetic mutations linked to Marek's disease in chickens identified - Phys.org - March 28th, 2025
- 23andMe is looking to sell customers genetic data. Heres how to delete it - CNN - March 28th, 2025
- Horses Pulled Off a Genetic Trick Only Viruses Were Thought to Use - SciTechDaily - March 28th, 2025
- CONSUMER ALERT: Warning 23AndMe Customers That Their Private Genetic Data May Be at Risk - Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia - March 28th, 2025
- A new study reveals the genetic change that made horses so athletic - KUOW News and Information - March 28th, 2025
- "Mystery ancestors" gave humans 20% of our current DNA, but who were they? - Earth.com - March 28th, 2025
- Correcting the Mutation Behind a Genetic Eye Disease - The Scientist - March 28th, 2025
- Your DNA is safe here: The AncestryDNA Genetic Test Kit is only $39 now - New York Post - March 28th, 2025
- 23andMe Is Bankrupt. Heres What You Need to Know About Your Genetic Data. - The Wall Street Journal - March 28th, 2025
- Commentary: 23andMe files for bankruptcy, putting its hoard of personal health information at risk - Los Angeles Times - March 28th, 2025
- DNA Microscopy Creates 3D Maps of Life From the Inside Out - SciTechDaily - March 28th, 2025
- Eugenics Must Be Included in Genetics Curriculum: Prof - Mirage News - March 28th, 2025
- 11-minute video on human genetics can make people more accepting of others, reveals new study - Hindustan Times - February 24th, 2025
- Advancing Cancer Genetic Testing to Improve Prevention and Patient Treatment - The Scientist - February 24th, 2025
- Environmental factors, lifestyle choices have greater impact on health than genes, study finds - ABC News - February 24th, 2025
- Study finds lifestyle, environment have greater impact on lifespan than genetics - CBS Boston - February 24th, 2025
- Safeguard repressor locks hepatocyte identity and blocks liver cancer - Nature.com - February 24th, 2025
- Mass spectrometry-based mapping of plasma protein QTLs in children and adolescents - Nature.com - February 24th, 2025
- The Avestagenome Project and TIGS Sign Strategic Alliance to Advance Research in Rare Genetic Disorders - The Tribune India - February 24th, 2025
- Researchers make breakthrough discovery after studying genetics of trees: 'There is a need for proactive conservation' - MSN - February 24th, 2025
- iPSCs and iPSC-derived cells as a model of human genetic and epigenetic variation - Nature.com - February 24th, 2025
- Beyond genetics: The biggest factors that influence health and aging - Earth.com - February 24th, 2025
- Genetic diversity and dietary adaptations of the Central Plains Han Chinese population in East Asia - Nature.com - February 24th, 2025
- How a uniquely human genetic tweak changed the voices of mice - NPR - February 24th, 2025
- Genetic evidence identifies a causal relationship between EBV infection and multiple myeloma risk - Nature.com - February 24th, 2025
- Genetic markers of early response to lurasidone in acute schizophrenia - Nature.com - February 24th, 2025
- Bupa to offer first genetic test for disease prediction in UK - The Times - February 24th, 2025
- Advancing Therapeutic Knowledge of Genetic Influence in ALS: Matthew B. Harms, MD - Neurology Live - February 24th, 2025
- Association of dietary carbohydrate ratio, caloric restriction, and genetic factors with breast cancer risk in a cohort study - Nature.com - February 24th, 2025
- Evaluation of polygenic scores for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in the general population and across clinical settings - Nature.com - February 24th, 2025
- Familiar autism-linked genes emerge from first analysis of Latin American cohort - The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives - February 24th, 2025
- Almost 90% of people would agree to genetic testing to tailor medication use, survey finds - Medical Xpress - February 24th, 2025
- Largest Genetic Study of Bipolar Disorder Identifies 298 Regions of the Genome That Increase Risk for the Condition - Mount Sinai - January 27th, 2025
- Study Sheds Light On The Origin Of Earth Lifes Genetic Code - Astrobiology News - January 27th, 2025
- Largest study on the genetics of bipolar disorder to date gives new insights into the underlying biology - Medical Xpress - January 27th, 2025
- Genetic Swiss Army Knife: New Tool For Gene Editing And Therapy - Forbes - January 27th, 2025
- Uhm Ji-won says the power of genetics is undeniable with Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin's son - - January 27th, 2025
- Integrative proteogenomic analysis identifies COL6A3-derived endotrophin as a mediator of the effect of obesity on coronary artery disease -... - January 27th, 2025
- Genetic analysis reveals the genetic diversity and zoonotic potential of Streptococcus dysgalactiae isolates from sheep - Nature.com - January 27th, 2025
- Eight psychiatric disorders share the same genetic causes, study says - Medical Xpress - January 27th, 2025
- Exploring genetic associations and drug targets for mitochondrial proteins and schizophrenia risk - Nature.com - January 27th, 2025
- Predictive Genetic Testing and Consumer Genomics Market - GlobeNewswire - January 27th, 2025
- Evolution without sex: How mites have survived for millions of years - EurekAlert - January 27th, 2025
- Our Understanding of Rules that Produce Lifes Genetic Code May Require a Revision - DISCOVER Magazine - January 27th, 2025
- Personalized therapy for rare genetic diseases: Patient-derived organoids offer new hope - Medical Xpress - January 27th, 2025
- The One Thing That's More Important for Longevity Than Your Genes - Parade Magazine - January 27th, 2025
- Complete recombination map of the human genome created - Medical Xpress - January 27th, 2025
- Evidence of genetic determination of annual movement strategies in medium-sized raptors - Nature.com - January 27th, 2025
- Genetic study of Alaska red king crabs suggests species is more diverse and resilient to climate change - Global Seafood Alliance - January 27th, 2025
- Smartwatches reveal insights into psychiatric illnesses and genetic links - Medical Xpress - January 27th, 2025
- Unlocking the Blueprint of Human Life With a Revolutionary DNA Map - SciTechDaily - January 27th, 2025
- Largest Genetic Study of Bipolar Disorder Identifies Nearly 300 Risk-Associated Genome Regions - Inside Precision Medicine - January 27th, 2025
- Genetic Discrimination Is Coming for Us All - The Atlantic - November 16th, 2024