Nature's Surprises

Although my studies and career have been tied mostly to liberal arts, I've always been fond of science.  I enjoy reading books and articles dealing with physics, new technology, the universe and even biology.  I try to keep up with developments in these fields and see how they relate to spiritual matters, because I believe all truth will eventually point to the same place.  For example, ponder the Tao and then read some of the new ideas scientists have about the nature of the universe, and you'll see some interesting parallels. 

A recent series of articles on new developments in biology appear in the latest issue of The Economist, which is simply the best weekly news magazine in existence.  I recommend you take a look.

Scientists now believe they're on the brink of discovering revolutionary changes in the way biological processes work.  Proteins and DNA were earlier believed to be the main players at the cellular level, however, RNA is now appearing to play a much more important role than was previously understood.  As the role of RNA is studied and further refined, it could have far-reaching implications for the future of medicine and our understanding of evolutionary processes and life itself.

This new information is obviously important in the field of biology, but it also points to a larger issue.  When it comes to public discussions of scientific subjects, something that gets my blood boiling is the attitude of smugness and certainty that some scientists, but mostly policy and opinion-makers display when they claim that "science proves" this or that.  The history of science is a scrapheap of outmoded and subsequently discarded theories of the way things work.  Why should we think it will stop with this generation?

The bottom line is, there are still many unknowns out there, in biology as well as other fields.  Discoveries over the next few years will radically alter our current conception of the way life developed, evolved, operates and will continue to evolve.  So stay tuned...keep reading...you will likely need to forget what you learned in school 20 or even 5 years ago.  Always remember to keep an open mind, and probably more importantly, an open heart.