Science, Art, Litt, Science based Art & Science Communication
Qs people asked me on science and my replies to them - part 204
This is what happens if you don’t understand scientific method properly. Science is an extremely slow process and can’t be rushed through. But people want magical instant solutions to their problems. Sorry science doesn’t work that way. You have to wait patiently to get your vaccines, medicines and full control over the situation.
Somebody says, “The history of this pandemic is littered with premature, and often inaccurate, scientific predictions ranging from the estimates of the numbers of people who will die unless nations impose a lockdown to the effectiveness of drug treatments,” writes Vikram patel, the Pershing Square Professor of Global Health at Harvard Medical School,in the indian express.
“Crowning these scientific disciplines is the field of modelling, for it was its estimates of mountains of dead bodies which fuelled the panic and led to the unprecedented restrictions on public life around the world,” he writes.
This is a ‘blind assessment’.
When something just begins in gigantic proportions, you can never have an accurate picture in an instant. We first take only the ‘information available’ at the time and make models and predictions and information available will not be correct most of the time in the initial stages. As the time progresses and as more and more information made available, the estimates and models improve. If you take hasty and lopsided decisions based on inadequate information and half models, the results will not be good. Why blame scientists for this mess?
Scientists don’t take decisions. Politicians and governments do. But the latter are panicking because of economic implications and are taking only half-hearted measures. Why blame scientists for this inadequacy in implementation of the right recommendations?
Then we have a part of general public that just rebel against any restrictions. Because they don’t understand science in the right way. They cause devastating consequences. But you blame scientists for this disarray!
Then, there are people who take decisions on providing funds who deliberately starve the scientific community of funds. How can you expect solutions from poor labs then? Do you think scientists have magical powers to work in empty labs and get solutions to your problems?
Then there are people who are against science and scientists. They attack us at every available opportunity, show us in a bad light, put all the blame on us and enjoy peoples’ reactions to this misinformation campaign.
How scientists are working selflessly to help the world … and how they are getting motivated to work day and night … In their own words : “I keep a series of Post-it notes at my desk, which I update each day with the number of lives lost to Covid … When I’m feeling drained, I look at that number.”
And get back to work - Virologist Katherine McMahan who is working on a potential vaccine for covid 19.
Krishna KumariChalla (కృష్ణ కుమారి చల్లా)'s post in Science Communi...
Okay, if you don’t trust science and scientists, go to places of worship and pray for an immediate solution and see the results. Or you yourself ‘invent’ a solution.
Don’t just sit in the AC rooms and criticise the only people who are toiling day and night and can provide a solution to this pandemic. If anybody can rescue the world from this pandemic, it is the scientists. Get that right first.
We are progressing slowly but steadily despite all the problems we face.
And we have support from the public too. Here is my evidence:
Public trust in science ‘soars following pandemic’
Survey results from Germany also suggest people think public disagreement between scientists is good, as it will lead to better results
Public trust in science ‘soars following pandemic’
Why we turn to scientists in times of crisis
Why we turn to scientists in times of crisis
Those who fully understand science and its methods will trust it anyway and those who don’t, criticise it and ask silly Qs and answer them in a negative way to malign it like this.
The way you follow tells a lot about your understanding and perception about science and scientists, not the facts.
Q: Why are scientists so little motivated to study the paranormal, supernatural, psychic, and witchcraft world?
Why should we waste our time and resources on just strange ‘human imagination’ and ‘silly beliefs’?
Scientists are smart. They know their priorities well.
Q: What is the scientific specialty of a full moon day?
Krishna: I think you have mixed up your cultural and traditional beliefs with science. There isn’t much speciality to it, scientifically speaking.
A full moon is visible when the moon has moved in its orbit so that Earth is “between” the moon and the Sun. Between the new and full moon, the moon we see grows — or waxes from its right side toward its left side. This means that the lunar hemisphere facing Earth – the near side – is completely sunlit and appears as a circular disk. The full moon occurs roughly once a month.
Lunar eclipses happen only during a full moon and around points on its orbit where the satellite may pass through the planet's shadow.
This has been happening for millions of years.
Folklore and traditional beliefs depict some stories and associate some health conditions like insomnia and insanity and mystic ‘magic’ and tantric rituals. But science doesn’t endorse such things because of lack of solid evidence.
There are some specialities though …
Blue moon:
- a phenomenon whereby the moon appears bluish owing to smoke or dust particles in the atmosphere ( science)
- a second full moon in a calendar month.
Blood moon:
A "blood moon" happens when Earth's moon is in a total lunar eclipse. While it has no special astronomical significance, the view in the sky is striking as the usually whitish moon becomes red or ruddy-brown.
During a full eclipse sometimes something spectacular happens. The moon is fully in Earth's shadow. At the same time, a little bit of light from Earth's sunrises and sunsets (on the disk of the planet) falls on the surface of the moon. Because the light waves are stretched out, they look red. When this red light strikes the moon's surface, it also appears red.
How red the moon appears can depend on how much pollution, cloud cover or debris there is in the atmosphere. For example, if an eclipse takes place shortly after a volcanic eruption, the particles in the atmosphere will make the moon look darker than usual.
https://qphs.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-c17051d61092592ece4db5b308ac..." class="CToWUd"/>Red Moon (image source: Google Images)
"Harvest moon" and "Hunter's moon" are the names given for the full moons in late summer and in the autumn in the Northern Hemisphere, usually in September and October, respectively. They are associated with cultural and traditional festivals.
Different names were given to full moons in different parts of the world depending on the months people witness them.
West:
- January: "Wolf Moon" (for December in Beard 1918), "Old Moon", "Moon After Yule", "Winter Moon"
- February: "Snow Moon", "Hunger Moon", "Storm Moon"
- March: "Worm Moon", "Crow Moon", "Sap Moon", "Crust Moon", "Lenten Moon", "Wind Moon"
- April: "Seed Moon", "Pink Moon", "Sprouting Grass Moon", "Pascal Moon", "Egg Moon" (c.f. "Goose-Egg" in Beard 1918), "Fish Moon", "Frog Moon", "Spring Moon", "Awakening Moon", "Sap Moon"
- May: "Milk Moon", "Flower Moon", "Corn Planting Moon", "Grass Moon", "Mother's Moon"
- June: "Mead Moon", "Strawberry Moon" (c.f. Beard 1918), "Rose Moon", "Hot Moon", "Thunder Moon"
- July: "Hay Moon", "Buck Moon", "Elk Moon", "Summer Moon", "Thunder Moon"
- August: "Corn Moon", "Sturgeon Moon", "Red Moon", "Barley Moon", "Green Corn Moon", "Grain Moon", "Herb Moon", "Wyrt Moon", "Dog Moon"
- September: "Harvest Moon", "Corn Moon", "Fruit Moon", "Barley Moon"
- October: "Hunter's Moon", "Blood Moon", "Autumn Moon", "Fall Moon", "Sanguine Moon", "Pumpkin Moon", "Dying Moon"
- November: "Beaver Moon", "Turkey Moon", "Frosty Moon", "Dark Moon"
- December: "Oak Moon", "Cold Moon", "Long Night's Moon"
Source: Full moon - Wikipedia
East:
In Hinduism, most festivals are celebrated on auspicious days. Many of the Hindu festivals are celebrated on days with a full moon at night. Different parts of India celebrate the same day with different names, as listed below:
- Chaitra Purnima – Gudi Padua, Yugadi, Ugadi, Hanuman Jayanti (April 15, 2014)[29]
- Vaishakh Purnima – Narasimh Jayanti, Buddha Jayanthi (Buddha's_Birthday) (May 14, 2014)[30]
- Jyeshtha Purnima – Vat Savitri Vrat Vat Purnima (June 8, 2014)[31]
- Ashadh Purnima – Guru Purnima, Vyas Purnima (important day for starting education and honoring teachers[31])
- Shravan Purnima – Good day for starting Upanayana day, Avani Avittam, Raksha Bandhan. Conceptually Onam also comes on this day.
- Bhadrapad Purnima – Start of Pitru Paksha, Madhu Purnima
- Ashvin Purnima – Sharad Purnima
- Kartik Poornima – Karthikai Deepam festival, Thrukkarthika (in Kerala)
- Margasirsha Purnima – Thiruvathira, Dathatreya Jayanthi
- Pushya Purnima – Thaipusam, Shakambharee Purnima
- Magha Purnima
- Phalguna Purnima – Holi
Source: Full moon - Wikipedia
This answer is based on both ‘science’ and ‘traditional beliefs’. You can easily differentiate between them.
Krishna: What phenomena? I think you have things like paranormal, miracle cures and black magic on your mind when you asked this Question.
There is no evidence for such things. We have been stressing this over and over again. Your beliefs, imaginations and anecdotal evidences based on perceptions are not facts and evidence.
If you want you can live in your own boxes and refuse to come out of these delusions, but scientists are smart enough to get rid of useless things that cause harm to human societies.
I prefer to be blind to such phenomena. I don’t want to waste my time on things that hinder progress.
Krishna : According to science, there is no evidence for black magic. So ‘proven’ cannot happen, ever, unless you follow unscientific and illegal ways to do that.
What you imagine or believe is your headache.
But if you try to ‘punish’ people because of your imagination, as this has been happening - people are killing others for what they call ‘practicing black magic’ - law will catch up with you.
First you are at fault because of your irrational and fearful thought process. Then you want to punish others for your faulty imagination. What type of justice is this?
Come out of these delusions.
Q: What should a bachelor do if he is contracted with Covid in Hyderabad?
If you are a bachelor and live with your parents and siblings that is like any other family scenario . However, I think you are alone and there is no one to look after you and that ‘s why you asked this Q. You contact the health authorities after the confirmation of your covid 19 status and also your family members and tell them about your health status.
You will get the helpline information here: COVID-19 | Hyderabad District, Government of Telangana | India
Then self isolate if your symptoms are mild, your health is manageable and you can look after yourself. Otherwise - if you have severe infection - admit to a good hospital.
Don’t try to meet others. If you order food items online, don’t meet the delivery people without taking precautions. Pay online and ask them to drop things at the door and leave. After they left, then only pick them up.
Don’t ask your friends to meet you. In case you need their help ask them to take precautions while they oblige you.
Ask them to follow these guidelines: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
As you are young, you don’t have to worry much if you don’t have co-morbidities and if you have mild symptoms.
If you just asked this Q to know what to do in case you get it, please take precautions so that you don’t catch it in the first place.
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