Science is omnipresent. Nature's beauty, our creations, our interpersonal interactions, the civilisations we've erected. It indisputably makes the largest contributions to modern society, although it's only ever asking itself one question: why are things the way they are? What are we and what are we doing here? These questions go from the little quarks within the confines of an atomic nucleus to the supermassive black hole at the centre of our galaxy. From the smooth rock on the beach to the device you're reading this on right now. Science has built devices that can perform tasks no human could ever do and perform human tasks with much higher efficiency than any person. Medical technology has saved countless lives.
In spite of all of these contributions, science is often frowned upon by society. Heliocentricity and the existence of viruses and bacteria were all once rejected by our society, and today, there are similar ideas which are rejected by society. These being climate change, evolution, the big bang, vaccinations, GMOs, and many more.
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It's ironic. The US, which is among the most dependent on scientific progress and also contributes the most to scientific discovery, and yet its government is so incredibly anti-science. Funding has been cut from NASA, NIH, EPA, and NSF, all to fund political agendas. Even then, bank bailouts and corporate subsidies cost multiple times more than NASA's budget for tens of years (the Wall Street Bailout of 2009 was worth 50 years of NASA funding). And one month of the US military's budget is the same as a full year of NASA's. Additionally, the majority of Trump's government denies any scientific evidence and focus entirely on their own ideological agendas.
Now, it might sound like there is no hope. but there is. There is a programme called "March for Science". They are organising a march in DC to raise awareness and take action. Scientists aren't always the most politically engaged, but this time, the stakes are far too high. It is time for scientists, science enthusiasts, and concerned citizens to come together to be heard. March for Science, Vote for Science, Invest in Science. To work in the name of science is to work in the name of humanity.
