Is Basic Science Relevant?

Biology is the study of living things and their interactions with each other as well as their environment. This topic is as broad as it goes; from Astrobiology to microbiology and everything in between. All of this is categorized as science, which can be divided into two main groups. These groups are applied and basic. Basic science is about learning knowledge for no purpose other than to just know it. this type of science, in my mind, is needed to create a base of knowledge that all scientific discoveries are supported by. Applied science has a purpose of solving a specific problem, for example, curing an epidemic.

In a goal oriented society like ours, many things that do not turn a profit or provide instantaneous results are not funded. This begs the question, will the basic science mentality survive? Basic science allows for discovery without being tied to a specific goal. This allows for discoveries to be made that wouldn't have otherwise. For example, the exploration of Mars has no value in our immediate future, but it still holds great significance for the future of our species, the liquid water we found on mars allowed us to study salty water which could be used in future to keep water from freezing at extremely low temperatures. If we don't continue to grow our base of knowledge the applied science will not be able to be done as efficiently. I view it as a pyramid. The base of the pyramid is basic science and it needs to grow to enable the growth of the top of the pyramid, the applied science.

All organisms share several properties. These are; order, energy processing, homeostasis, regulation, growth, reproduction, and response to stimuli. The most interesting portion of this, in my opinion, is growth. It just seems weird that a baby will one day become a tax paying citizen and a small seed can collect enough energy from the environment around it to transform into a mighty tree. Even more impressive than growth is evolution, which is like the growth of an organism in the way that over time it changes. The thought that all of the planets started off with just a couple cells is amazing. The specialization of these few ancestral organisms were able to adapt in different ways to different situations and as a byproduct caused the biodiversity we see today. A visual representation of this change throughout history can be viewed by a Phyogenetic Tree( I suggest This Link, It's pretty cool).

An organism is made up of atoms, which in turn creates molecules that combine to make organelles which are single parts in a cell. when this cell is grouped with other similar cells it becomes a tissue, this tissue works with other tissue to become an organ and the organs work together to make an organ system. this creates on organism which is a part of a population, when two or more of these combine it becomes a community and after that, an ecosystem. finally all of it combined is a biosphere. A biosphere is the region of the surface of the earth that is occupied by living organisms. Many biosphere experiments have taken place to try and recreate a closed system that can support or even create life. No experiment so far has been able to create life. The largest experiment done to try and sustain life in a closed system was done by NASA, it was called Biosphere 2. They also failed in there attempt to complete this task.

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