And like anybody doing pioneer work, I think everybody doing science is at par with Superman. Science is a power. A power that can be both used and misused. Thats a topic of many a debate and Hollywood flicks. Sci-fi dealing with an experiment gone wrong are many. How scientifically accurate or well made are they is an entirely different debate.
However, the hero of these movies- superhuman, supershark or supersnake- all emerge from some cloning done by a bad guy or because the data was misused by an evil guy.
Why am I so rampant about discussing Hollywood movies? No, dont worry. Like Ranbir Kapoor I too dont dream of a Hollywood career. Im told movies are a reflection of society. Hence I love to observe both equally well.
Sci-fi dealing with those mutated humans/animals stem from society's fear of misuse of science.
Anything powerful, if misused can be disastrous. And all those belonging to the generation of Hiroshima-Nagasaki are liable to think so. I do respect but unfortunately dont reflect their opinion.
Before even knowing the possibility of cloning or the definition of a foetus, the society is psyched by such a fear and negativity that there are bans on stem cell research already. What cloning are we scared of? We have after so much effort reached a point where we could probably dream of growing a heart in a petridish.
Thats why when you ban stem-cell research, its like you have banned love! When I saw that video I dont know if my heart was beating faster or those amazing little heart cells. It was not my experiment, my project or my thesis. But I was equally overjoyed and equally proud as the creator of those cells must have been.
Half baked knowledge is worse than no knowledge. How is stem cell research threatening the society that it was decided to ban it in some areas? If they feel that scientists are playing God by manipulating stem cells, then are they playing Devil by banning it? And for the record, we are trying to understand Nature. Not manipulate it. The remote possibility that it might lead to cloning which might be misused. Oh come on! The one incident where the Atomic power was misused does not make the findings of Oppenheimer and Fermi any less marvellous. Was Fermi planning to bomb Nagasaki? Would it have helped to ban Fermi Labs which is till date one of the most coveted and reputed places for science?
The face of the ban states debates like to use destruction of human embryos as a reason to ban stem cell research. Has anybody in the goverment sat through an ethics committee discussing the morals and safe painless use of any life form being used in science? Its one of the most gruelling and well thought of aspect of life sciences cause believe it or not- we want to make sure that though science is our passion, it should not be detrimental to Nature or Society. And as far as the issue of when to call a human embryo a life form; I have only one word- HeLa. And no, its not a weapon of mass destruction, Mr Bush!
We are lovers of science. Of knowledge. Of exploration. Are we still living in the times of Harvey who told the world about blood circulatoin? His crime? Wanting to study human physiology and anatomy at a time when dissections were banned by the Church? Why is Science always in a state of resistance from society? How long will our Renaissance last?
To know, to explore, to enquire- is a natural instinct for human. Be it a one year old walking in the park or a seventy year old researcher looking down a microscope. Banning science means banning the very basic nature of humanity.
What sets us apart from other life forms is our ability to observe, interpret and hypothesise. We are a curious lot. Curiosity, like many ill-worded proverbs, could never have killed a cat! And i think a certain Dr. Schrodinger will agree!!!
So please dont ban love. Dont ban SUPERMAN!
