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A new species could be discovered any day When scientists focus on a fragment of nature, they gain powerful insights into how a bit of the world works
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I was once at the cutting edge of genetics research. The textbook I co-authored was the most widely used in the world. But we ended up writing numerous editions to keep up with evolving knowledge. Newer versions had to account for information that had become irrelevant or ideas that were later disproven. That’s not to denigrate our research or any other. It’s how science progresses. Like much of everything, science can be influenced by money and profit. So there’s often a rush to patent every new insight to get something to market even if its application might turn out to be ineffective or harmful. When scientists focus on a fragment of nature, they gain powerful insights into a bit of how the world works. We discover all kinds of things because we often start from a place of relative ignorance. The late Cornell University professor Thomas Eisner, a leading insect expert, told me he could discover a new insect
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Cornell University professor Thomas Eisner suggests there are many undiscovered insect species in Central Park
species in New York City’s Central Park any day — in one of the biggest cities in the world. Think of how little we know about life in the Amazon rainforest, the Great Bear Rainforest or the oceans. Science is great at description. But every discovery needs to be put in a perspective that acknowledges our ignorance. Not
long ago, marine biologists assumed the base of the marine food chain was microscopic phytoplankton. In the mid-1980s, they found cells 10 times smaller than phytoplankton called “picoplankton” that went through the mesh in their nets. Picoplankton are so abundant, they may produce as much oxygen as all phytoplankton. Yet until
recently, we didn’t know they existed. As useful a tool as science is, it often fails to consider the big picture. Paul Mueller won a Nobel Prize in 1948 for developing the insecticide DDT. As its use ramped up, Swiss company Geigy made a lot of money, and DDT knocked the hell out of insects. But over time, birdwatchers began to notice bird populations were declining. Biologists tracked it to DDT accumulation in shell glands, making eggshells thinner and prone to breaking. They had discovered biomagnification, a phenomenon that scientists didn’t know about until DDT was used. Science is often considered to be objective, but that means it can be used for good, bad or indifferent purposes.
In many ways, Indigenous knowledge is more encompassing and profound than science. It embraces gratitude, love, respect and a deep sense of responsibility. Indigenous knowledge is critical for a peoples’ survival and has been tested by their presence over thousands of years. It’s also deeply subjective and meaningful, considering the web of relationships with all other animal and plant species and air, water, soil and sunlight. The element of reciprocity, of responsibility, is missing in contemporary science and society in general. We need both science and Indigenous knowledge for a fuller understanding of our place in the world.
DAVID SUZUKI David Suzuki is the host of the CBC’s The Nature of Things and author of more than 30 books on ecology.
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