Exploration Is Fundamental to Human Success

Mon, 25 Jul 2022 07:00:00 GMT
Scientific American - Technology

Discoveries inspire us, give us hope for a better future and pay off generously

Today most explorers who are making fundamental discoveries are scientists.

Whether the frontiers are minuscule, like the human genome, or massive, like our deepest oceans, we still have much left to learn about planet Earth.

Some unknown territories are emergent: human consciousness or why trillions of bacteria floating on the ocean suddenly glow in unison across more than 100 square miles.

In the early 2000s Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman of the University of Pennsylvania were studying fundamental molecules called messenger RNA in humans and realized that a few adjustments could prevent the molecules from causing inflammation.

The human drive to overcome challenges is an essential aspect of the human drive to explore.

As Robert Ballard, who discovered the wreck of the RMS Titanic in 1985 and was part of the team that found the first deep-sea hydrothermal vents, told us recently: "The ocean is a formidable place. I was almost killed several times. But the human spirit is indestructible." Ballard turned 80 in June and in May spent two weeks on an expedition in the Pacific Ocean.

Early human submersibles that reached the bottom of the deepest ocean trenches made the trip just once, stressed by the enormous pressures there.

Eventually a more stress-resistant deep-submergence vehicle, the Limiting Factor, allowed investor and undersea explorer Victor Vescovo to reach trench bottoms numerous times.

Programmable vessels greatly expand our reach and reduce the risk to the people involved in exploration, allowing for the kind of discovery that the human body might limit.

Ocean research groups have made it a priority to openly share their discoveries and data with the public, to be more inclusive of people who live along waters being explored, and to inspire the next generation of young scientists.

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