• Question: Hey, Urm, I was wondering what area of Science do you believe to be most important and why?

    Asked by jackwillsaholics to Craig, Anna on 17 Jun 2011. This question was also asked by apache.
    • Photo: Craig McKenzie

      Craig McKenzie answered on 17 Jun 2011:

      hi Jackwillsaholics,

      I take it you like Jack Wills then – me too – there is a shop just across the street from my laboratory….

      Hmmm…that is a big questions to give a short answer and really depends on the word ‘important’ and what it means to you and to society as a whole. The importance of different areas of science is very difficult to compare. For me personally there are very big general questions science is dealing with and relate to how we interact with each other and the world we live in. These are related to things like climate change and environmental protection and also to do with medical science dealing with difficult diseases and conditions, but science is important in our everyday lives. forensic science is very important if we become involved in the legal issues either as a victim of crime as a suspect in a crime or like me as a forensic scientist who tries to help the court answer specific questions about evidence and whether a suspect might be guilty. This is very important to society that we have a fair legal system backed up with well studied and proven science and very important to the individuals involved.

      In your opinion what areas of science do you think are the most interesting and the most important?

    • Photo: Anna Williams

      Anna Williams answered on 17 Jun 2011:

      Hi jackwillsaholics,
      This is a huge question and it is very difficult to answer. As Craig said, it depends on your definition of ‘important’. I suppose I think the sciences that are used to save people’s lives are very important, but there are many sciences that do that: engineering that means the bridges you cross are safe or the vehicles you travel in are safe and protected; medical science, physics and chemistry allow you to be imaged, diagnosed and treated with surgery or drugs if you have a disease, or means that tiny babies can live when otherwise they would have died; botanical and veterinary science means the food you eat is safe; ecological and geological science means you can be warned if there is a hurricane or a tsunami coming; and forensic science can be used to help innocent people escape conviction and can convict people who are guilty, keeping the community safe.

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