Mid Life Science

 Mid Life Science by Ashton Hummler


Is science dying? I’d say science is having a “mid-life crisis” where it’s trying to relive the glory days and trying to recapture that vivacious energy it had during its prime. A study by Nature which analyzed over 45 million scientific papers over the past six decades shows a considerable decline in “disruptive” scientific findings. A “disruptive” finding is a discovery that is revolutionary or earth shattering that completely redefines how a subject is perceived, some examples being the heliocentric model of the solar system and the double helix. Perhaps this is just an instance of “low tide” for science, and a high tide will come with a huge wave of new momentous discoveries. However, with all that humanity has already discovered about the reality we reside in, there has to be a point when we eventually hit a wall and discover there is to discover, or everything available to us. 

It's an inevitability that we will one day “run out of discoveries.” When science was a “newer” phenomenon, there seemed to be breakthrough after breakthrough in a relatively short period of time. Discoveries both big and small would shock the world time and time again. Darwin’s theory of evolution, Einstein’s relativity, Watson and Crick’s double helix, Edison’s lightbulb. All of these were remarkable discoveries, but they can never be rediscovered again. LEDs aren’t as big of a deal as the light bulb was because we already knew how to create artificial light from electricity. Although the LED may be a more efficient innovation of the already established light bulb, it’s just not as impactful or earth shattering. The initial release of the iPhone was a turning point in history for not only technology but also humanity. However, the release of every new subsequent model of the iPhone is less and less revolutionary.

We also may reach a point in science where the information may not even be useful to us, and there would be no practical applications for it. For example, if it is discovered that Multiverse theory is true, and there are parallel universes that are running right next to our own, does it really matter if we can’t interact with those universes at all? If String Theory or a similar “theory of everything” is discovered and proven true, would humanity even be able to do anything with that information? So what if everything in the entire universe is made of tiny little vibrating strings, can we do anything with them? Or can we only just watch them vibrate and applaud the glory of the infinitesimal threads of existence? Black holes are still a large and prominent mystery in our galaxies, but does it really matter getting to the absolute truth about them if their gravitational forces are so strong to rip anything that gets near it into atomic shreds??? Maybe some things don’t NEED to be discovered. There’s nothing wrong with a little mystery in life.

I’m not trying to tell all scientists that their jobs are pointless and that they’ll never be as great as those that came before them. Science is a noble profession and I have respect for any scientist giving it their all to create the next breakthrough for humanity. I’m just saying they better do it now before we run out of breakthroughs and become fully knowledgeable about everything there is to know about this tragic reality, but that probably won’t be for a really long time. 






Work Cited:


Park, Michael, et al. “Papers and Patents Are Becoming Less Disruptive over Time.” Nature News, Nature Publishing Group, 4 Jan. 2023, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-05543-x. 

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