Should limits be placed in the scientific developments?

The entire global media was shocked, recently, when news came about a group of scientists trying to plant a dog’s head on a cow’s body. Similarly, continuous nuclear tests by North Korea raised tension throughout the East Asia. These illustrations depict the fact that the world is marching ahead in the field of scientific development. Whether it is the field of agriculture or astronomy, there have been many scientific explorations. Human rockets got victory over the moon in 1969. Earth’s space ships have scaled the mars. Genetically modified food has revolutionised the whole agricultural sector. Rarely a human dies, these days, because of common cold or diarrhoea. Communication and transportation have advanced beyond our expectations. However a question arises, are these advancement really obligatory for the human advancement. It can always be argued that science is required for betterment of life. But we cannot forget those nuclear weapons resulting from the same advancement. Genetics has crossed the ethical line. Whole environment and other creatures are under threat because of continuous research in the name of such advancements.

Science has indeed made our life easier. It used to be day when people had to walk for many days for travelling from one place to another. Pigeons used to be the method of communication. Now the case is different. Modern tools such as aeroplane, bullet trains have simplified the transportation sector. It takes nearly less than 24 hours to physically travel to the United States of America from Nepal. A single tap on keyboard allows two friends to communicate with each other living in two different poles of the earth. Electronic mail allows the message transfer within the interval of couple of seconds. Science has given a lot to us. And we must be thankful for it. The luxury we live today would not have been possible if our ancestors had placed a limit in the scientific developments. So is it rational to ban now? Aren’t we grudging our future generations of a war better life science could offer? If we look from this perspective it is logical to argue that no confines should be placed on the scientific developments.

However we cannot forget that the science has given nightmares too. Advancement in the weaponry sector has intimidated the whole world. Weapons of mass destruction (WMD) are being developed day by day. ‘Little boy’, the first atom bomb used against Japanese city, Hiroshima in 1945 caused 68% of the destruction in the city. The radiation is still high in those areas leading to the cases of mutated and still births. Those were the primitive bombs. Present-day bombs are able to destroy the whole world completely.

In addition, the chemical research has produced new types of chemical weapons. The anthrax used against the Americans after September 11 incident is the example of such weapons. Science is day by day building a new way to kill us. So it can be genuinely argued that further research in that sector will do nothing more than eliminate our self from the earth.

Moreover the continuous research in the field of genetics has crossed the ethical line. The day has come when the sex of a child can be foreseen. Parents are choosing the sex of their child before the birth. Recent survey done in a city of India showed that 3 boys were born to a girl. Now a problem arises, if this continues there will be very few women for our future generations to marry. Genetics has created more problems than solutions. If genetics determines everything of a person, then a question arises. What are parents for? What is the god for? This has become a serious issue in the modern time.

Scientific advancements also have their cost. We are sacrificing our natural resources for the research. A single rocket launch takes away tonnes of fuels. A single missile launched penetrates the atmosphere and pollutes it. The valuable non-renewable resources of the earth are plummeting because of this. Moreover, aeroplane, buses run on petroleum. The harmful gases like carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide emitted from these vehicles pollute the air and land. Carbon monoxide is a fatal to life if mixed with the haemoglobin of our blood.

Similarly, scientific tests require various tests. Indeed, poor creatures are used to the tests. The rabbits and chimpanzees are often used for testing cosmetics products. No one ever thinks of the physical pain which those creatures bear. Furthermore we keep them in captive. We are indeed exploiting the animal rights for our personal interests.

Science is necessary for the betterment of human race. It will ensure a better future for the generations to come. Our present luxurious life would not be possible if our forefathers had placed limits in the scientific advancements. However, its advancement had major problems too. To on-going trend of weapon research will destroy the life on the earth one day. Genetics is progressing but in negative direction. We are sacrificing the very earth and its creatures for our research. So to ensure that the future world survives and lives a better future, some limits have to be placed in the scientific development.