Déjà-vu

jtotheizzoe:

I’ll talk more in the near future about what some of the ENCODE project sections have shown us, but for now … GO READ THIS POST FROM fuckyeahmolecularbiology! (I’ve only included an excerpt here because it’s long, but seriously. Do it.)

“Popularising science is a great goal, and I think it can really inspire people; I know how intimidating scientific papers can be to read, and communicating science is instrumental in getting everyone to see its importance, value, and to create a more scientifically literate society. That being said, though, science has to be communicated carefully: When it’s done badly, as with ENCODE, it can be just as bad as having shoddy science in the first place.

Read. Ask questions. Be skeptical.”

Hear, Hear!  The art of reason and skepticism is often lost in education and family culture.  Whenever I hear a parent answer a perfectly sound question with, “Well, because that’s the way it is,” I cringe because not only are they giving in to impatience, but they’re doing so the expense of their child’s curiosity and ability to reason.  Brought up with unsatisfactory, dismissive, coddled answers, at some point, people stop asking questions, and that’s a tragedy.

(Source: amolecularmatter)