• Question: how will your work affect the future

    Asked by raggy to Adam, Joanna, Louise S, Louise W, Marcus on 12 Nov 2012.
    • Photo: Adam Paige

      Adam Paige answered on 12 Nov 2012:

      I am not sure if my work will affect the future in a big way (like Newton or Einstein for example). But all science is based upon lots of people each making small discoveries and new understandings that build together into big changes. When we discover something new we publish that work in scientific journal magazines. Other scientists read this and it gives them new ideas for their own work. Which they publish and is read by someone else…and so on. I know people have used some of the information I have discovered in their own research – which is really exciting for me. So I know that I have contributed to the future of science, even though I have not (yet!) produced a big discovery. Science should be about working together like that – sharing ideas.

    • Photo: Joanna Giles

      Joanna Giles answered on 13 Nov 2012:

      My work is looking at how tiny differences in genes in the blood proteins can cause a big effect on how the immune system works.

      Specifically it looks to be able to predict whether people will get arthritis or other autoimmune diseases (like Alzheimers disease or Muscular Sclerosis).

      If we can predict whether people are pre-disposed to a disease it will be so much easier to treat them or even prevent disease in the future. This will take a lot of hard work and a long time, but it is the end goal for scientists working in the same area as me 🙂

    • Photo: Louise Stanley

      Louise Stanley answered on 13 Nov 2012:

      The work I do will not affect the future of everyone but it is very much at an individual level for that patient as the genetic results that we get in our lab stay with that patient forever. The results also have implications for other family members. This may mean that the person makes a life changing decision such as having risk reducing surgery e.g. Breast removal or that their unborn child has a life threatening disorder and under goes a termination. That’s the thing with genetics is that they are with you for life. On the other hand you may find out that a patient hasn’t inherited a faulty gene from their parent and they are not at risk of that disease which is good news for them.

    • Photo: Marcus Wilson

      Marcus Wilson answered on 16 Nov 2012:

      Like Adam im not sure exactly how my work will affect the future. Im working on basic biology, i.e how stuff works, rather than on new drugs to fight cancer. However, we can’t possibly hope to cre diseases without understanding how they work.

      I like the analogy of the moon landings. scientists and engineers at NASA managed to put a man on the moon, using Newtons theories, discovered 300 years before. Trying to cure a disease without understanding it would be like trying to land a man on the moon by shooting off rockets in all directions. some might get there, but its not a very clever way to do it.

    • Photo: Louise Walkin

      Louise Walkin answered on 16 Nov 2012:

      I think everyone’s work will have an impact whether you make a big discovery or not. In science you need to look at it from every angle and we need to know what isn’t important as well as what is important in health and disease. Then when we know what isn’t important we can move onto something else – which could lead to the big discoveries! One thing about science is that it can take many many years for the work we do to actually have an impact on a patient, but we must always remember that the things we do are all important 🙂

Comments