National Science Day | What do scientists do?

Explore the essence of science, its methods, and the qualities needed to become a scientist in today's world.

Everyone knows scientists are in the business of “discovering” things. But what exactly do they do? When I was growing up in a small village in Kerala, there were no scientists around to ask this question. Even now, my friends ask me this question, half joking, half curious. I often laugh it off and change the topic. 

A better description of what scientists do is that they create knowledge. We are all consumers of knowledge. A farmer needs to know when to sow and reap, a vegetable vendor needs to know how to perform basic arithmetic, and an engineer needs to know how to design a bridge that can withstand the required load. Usually, we gain this knowledge from books, teachers, the internet, etc. 

However, we don’t have very good answers to many important questions that concern us: What are the reasons for the increased human-animal conflicts? Why do we have many more extreme weather events, such as floods, heat waves, and landslides? Why are we seeing frequent outbreaks of rare viral diseases?

Representative picture. | Photo Credit: KARUNAKARAN M

The scientific method is the best way we have today for creating knowledge. It relies on observation, experiments, and logical reasoning to understand natural phenomena. It also involves examining the accuracy of our knowledge based on evidence. To some extent, we all practice the scientific method in our daily lives. Farmers identify the right times to sow, weed and reap by observing seasons that get repeated every year. Chefs experiment with ingredients and proportions before perfecting their fish curry recipe. We use logical reasoning to conclude that it rained last night when we see everything wet in the morning. If someone says that their magic medicine will cure diabetes, we ask for evidence for this claim – at least we should.

Since science aims to explain only natural phenomena, it’s important to find its explanations in the natural world itself. The scientist J.B.S. Haldane had famously said, “When I set up an experiment, I assume that no god, angel, or devil is going to interfere with its course.” It was very difficult for our ancestors to understand natural phenomena such as lightning and thunderstorms. So they imagined them to be due to supernatural reasons, such as the fury of the gods. But such explanations were not useful because it was still impossible to predict when and where they would occur.