We all know that science is awesome, and it is awesome for a number of reasons: It gives us a way to make sense of data, test hypotheses, create new and better technologies, and form a more comprehensive view of our universe (and our place within it). But science is more than just "cool" and it's more than just a tool (unintentional rhyme there).
Science allows us to live and function in society. Scientific literacy enables us to differentiate science fact from science fiction; it allows us to make informed decisions about important environmental and social policy—the list goes on and on.
Perhaps Richard Feynman, one of the greatest scientists of our time, put it best:
I would like not to underestimate the value of the world view which is the result of scientific effort. We have been led to imagine all sorts of things infinitely more marvelous than the imaginings of poets and dreamers of the past. It shows that the imagination of nature is far, far greater than the imagination of man. For instance, how much more remarkable it is for us all to be stuck – half of us upside down – by a mysterious attraction to a spinning ball that has been swinging in space for billions of years...than to be carried on the back of an elephant supported on a tortoise swimming in a bottomless sea?
I have thought about these things so many times alone that I hope you will excuse me if I remind you of this type of thought that I am sure many of you have had, which no one could ever have had in the past because people then didn’t have the information we have about the world today
Ultimately, is about knowledge. But more than that, it science allows us to gaze in wonder at the world around us.
Sometimes, it's fun to take a break from the rigors of science, and appreciate the amazing things that it has helped us to uncover. Below are some of our top picks for interesting science facts (click the images to go to relevant articles) and be sure to share your own favorite facts.
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