Start with Science

Welcome to my domain. I am Michael Jeltsch, a researcher and teacher in biomedical science, and this blog serves as a repository for my thoughts, rants, and my commitment to the scientific method. I hold the old-fashioned opinion that the world is knowable because it follows the laws of nature. Within the realm of the empirical, you don’t get to invoke magic or the supernatural. And science is - by a large margin - the best set of methods for investigating and understanding the natural world.

Science beats religion and any other method of understanding the world hands down, every single time, when it comes to delivering the goods. The Copernican world model  was much more accurate in predicting astronomical events than the model it replaced, and the Keplerian model did the same to the Copernican model that the Copernican model had done to the geocentric model: its explanations and predictions were superior to those of the preceding model. This undeniable usefulness is what has characterized real science ever since. Not only can we predict what’s going to happen in the real world, but we can also build devices that function because science predicts they will. That’s why we have electricity, microwaves, defibrillators, insulin pumps, neonatal incubators, mobile phones, airplanes, rockets that can reach the moon, and much more. The different world models also illustrate that science is dynamic and scientific knowledge provisional, to be replaced when better explanations become available. Yet, the provisional nature of our scientific knowledge is no reason to dismiss it, because it’s the best knowledge to act upon. And some of our scientific knowledge has been substantiated by such a large body of evidence that it would be unreasonable to withhold provisional agreement.

While you would think that the success of science should convince everybody, there is a strong and growing anti-scientific movement that has support even within many governments around the world. While it is easy at the moment to point fingers at the US, ignoring expert advice has become commonplace among many European politicians as well. This is not a lack of knowledge; this is compartmentalization: Anti-vaxxers  who take antibody drugs when seriously ill. They reject the prophylactic version while embracing the therapeutic version of the same science. Climate-change deniers  who board an aircraft whose wing design was informed by computational simulations of fluid dynamics. Creationists who take flu vaccines or worry about evolving antibiotic-resistant bacteria  . “Big Pharma” critics who use only herbs, not knowing that the majority of all drugs still have their origins in the natural world  , just that pharmaceutical science made them stable and pure and thus much more effective and safe. Flat-earthers who use GPS that relies on satellites orbiting our planet. Diabetic anti-GMO activists who use insulin produced by engineered bacteria  .

Science is not just a collection of facts; it is a way of thinking. It is a commitment to adjusting our ideas to conform to reality and evidence. It is the only functional tool we have for understanding the universe, curing diseases, protecting our environment, and building a better future. At the end of the day, we need real solutions to real problems, and it is science—and only science—that delivers the goods.

One more thing: science is awesome! If you’ve ever done an experiment that helped discover something new about how the world works, you know how exciting that feeling is. There’s nothing quite like making a new discovery, and I wouldn’t want to miss that experience for anything.

Suggested Resources for Science  

1. Neurologica Blog  : Blog about everything science by Dr. Steven Novella.
2. Science-Based Medicine  : A great resource for dismantling “Big Pharma” conspiracies, alternative medicine, and anti-vaccine claims using rigorous clinical standards.
3. Respectful Insolence  : A highly recommended blog by David Gorski. It heavily dissects the exact cognitive dissonance (compartmentalization) of anti-vaxxers and medical denialists.
4. Sense About Science  : An independent charity that challenges the misrepresentation of science and evidence in public life and advocates for the scientific method.
5. Retraction Watch  : A phenomenal site illustrating the provisional nature of science in action. It tracks retracted papers and scientific fraud, showing how the scientific method self-corrects over time.