Blog 9

After reading through Dr. Pennock’s Chapter 3 on Organized Curiosity, one idea really stuck out to me. It was the notion that everyone in science has to have some sort of skepticism. This is a crucial part in being a scientist, and conducting verifiable research. If you took everyone’s word for what their research results were, then we would have a multitude of issues with trying to implement false or incorrect research into something that is useful for society. For instance, beta-carotene supplementation was used in Finland on a group of men that were smokers to help prevent lung cancer. The idea behind this study was that individuals with higher blood beta-carotene had been reported to have lower levels of lung cancer compared to individuals with lower blood beta-carotene levels. However, the Finland study was cut short because of its unethicalness. It turned out that strictly beta-carotene supplementation increases one’s risk for lung cancer. The only way that they could have discovered this idea was by being skeptical of the previous results. This occurred after proposing the fact that beta-carotene levels are higher in people who eat more fruits and vegetables, and could be a result of many cofounding variables that prevent lung cancer in adults rather than just beta-carotene alone. This is just one example that came to mind when reading Dr. Pennock’s chapter. Being humble and skeptical of oneself and others is definitely a virtue for scientists.