Critical Thinking Blog Assignment #8

There are many different scientists specializing in many different things. There are physicists, cytologists, geneticists, and microbiologists, just  to name a few.  The sole purpose of a scientist's work is to improve the conditions of humanity through discoveries, inventions, and medicine.  There can be many awe inspiring and positive outcomes from the work of a scientist.  Take Albert Einstein for example.  His greatest achievement by far was E=mc squared.  This changed the way people viewed physics and also contributed led to the discovery of other theories such as The Big Bang Theory and black holes.  However, scientific progress does not always go according to plan.  Scientists can occasionally do the opposite for humanity without intention.  This was also the case with Albert Einstein.  He advised President Franklin D. Roosevelt of uranium's ability to compose an atomic bomb which would cause fear amongst the world during the Cold War.  It was terrifying to know that it was possible for such disastrous and immense bombs to be created.  Later on in his life, Einstein became overwrought with feelings of guilt for his contribution in the atomic bomb.  This proves that scientific progression is not always intended and can lead to harmful consequences.

We can also see the dangers of scientific progression in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.  Dr. Victor Frankenstein was a scientist in this novel who studied chemistry and philosophy.  His creation was a monster which he composed by putting several dead body parts together.  The monster eventually killed innocent people, one being Dr. Frankenstein's brother.  By overstepping limits in creating a monster into dead body parts,  the progress of science did not move foward and create positive reactions as it is intended to do.

Assignment #7- Rosalind Franklin

Scientist and X-ray crystallographer Rosalind Franklin has assisted the world in understanding how DNA plays an extremely significant role in genetics.  However, Franklin did not gain the recognition she deserved in her contributions to the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA. In 1953 she used her expertise in X-ray diffraction to discover images of DNA.  This brought her to the finding of the double helix structure which would play a vital role in the determination of one's hereditary genes and how information is passed from a parent to their child.  This is very important for us today and always will be because we have a better understanding of why we have certain physical features,  where we acquire our personality traits, medical history, etc. Unfortunately, Rosalind Franklin's discovery went un-recognized and served as the basis for Watson and Crick's hypothesis.  Because Rosalind Franklin was a female scientist in the 1950's, she struggled to be taken seriously in her work due to her gender.  Even after her death, she still went unnoticed in contributing to the discovery of the double helix in DNA.  In 1962, Watson and Crick, both men, received the Nobel Prize "for their discoveries concerning the molecular structure of nucleic acids and its significance for information transfer in living material".  We get the idea that during Rosalind Franklin's career, she was an angry, bitter woman.  She must have been well aware that she would never get the credit she deserved as a scientist and would never be viewed as an intelligent scientist, capable of the same work a man could produce.  Thus, this hardened her personality in the field.  Evidence of Franklin's demeanor and the conflicts she had with male scientists are shown in the graphic novel of our class coursepack.  It is very unfortunate that Rosalind Franklin was not acknowledged of her crucial work in the double helix structure in 1953.  Nor was she awarded the Nobel Prize along with her associates Watson and Crick.  Rosalind Franklin was a brilliant woman and deserved  appreciation for her work.  Some may disagree as to why she was downplayed, but it's a shame that she was discriminated.

Assignment #6

I chose to do my research paper on the portrayal of science in the fictional novel "Einstein's Dreams".  I found many different sources of research, including two print books.  I made good use of my Laguardia student ID card to access the library and its resources.  This is where I recovered to print sources, "The Universe and Dr. Einstein" and "Time and the Physical World".  "The Universe and Dr. Einstein" written by Lincoln Barnett was published way back in 1948.  The book discusses famed nobel prize winning scientist Albert Einstein and his theories.  Barnett explains Einstein and his theory of relativity, his research on the ruling factors of the universe, and what led him to his theories.   This is all written clearly, yet intellectually.  This book gave me a better understanding of Einstein's theories which helped me relate them to the novel "Einstein's Dreams".  My second source from the laguardia library is "Time and the Physical World" written by  Richard Schlegel.  This book notes relativity, space, time, and gravity.  Albert Einstein's theories are explored, with the main focus on relativity.  For my research paper, I used Schlegel's book to relate the to the scientific laws to the fiction in "Einstein's Dreams" and to explain the concept of time.