The Power of Science

I'm delighted that The Huffington Post is launching a new Science Section today.

I've spent so much of the past 35 years conducting scientific research because I believe in the power of science. Albert Einstein once said, "Not everything that counts can be counted" -- not everything that's meaningful is measurable -- but much is.

Science is simply a powerful way of understanding what's real and what isn't, what's true and what's not. It can help us determine what works, what doesn't, for whom, and under what circumstances.

As we move into an era of politics in which facts seem increasingly irrelevant -- "and now, for the other side, let's hear from the Flat Earth Society" -- the scientific method requires scientists to defend their work. And although scientists can often be as resistant to new ideas as anyone, the process of science ensures that, over time, good ideas and theories prevail.

A valid scientific theory is predictive, verifiable, and replicable. To me, that's beautiful.