The Clean Room
Study Guide for Episode 7
Study Guide pages are provided by National Geographic, and contain Cosmos-related questions and activities for teachers and students studying the Cosmos series.
Episode 7: The Clean Room
There is no such thing as a dishonest scientist, just as there is no such thing as dehydrated water. Dehydrate water and you have nothing. Take honesty from a scientist and you no longer have a scientist.
Because science is a communal search for truth, every scientist must act in such manner that the truth can be found. To make the communal activity of science effective, scientists must be honest, reliable, of good judgment, willing to accept criticism, tolerant of the views of others, permissive of dissent, and willing to share information openly. If scientists do not bring these values to their work, then they will not help science to enlarge, correct, improve, and refine its findings. In short, they are not scientists, no matter what their qualifications.
A culture that does not value dissent or tolerance is not fertile ground for science. But as Jacob Bronowski said, when science moves into such cultures, it brings its values with it, which means that science can benefit the culture that supports it.
Science and morality intersect in each person’s voluntary commitment to be a scientist, to think as a scientist, or to be guided by science.
People
• Clair “Pat” Patterson, hero of this story, was the first lead-measurement expert. In 1956, Patterson and his colleague George Tilton estimated the age of the earth using isotope-dating methods involving uranium and lead (more HERE). Their figure, 4.55 billion years, has stood as the best estimate for over 60 years. Patterson helped raise awareness of harmful effects of lead, and demonstrated that almost all lead in the environment comes from human activity. He campaigned successfully for removal of lead from gasoline and many other industrial products.
• Harrison Brown, research director of Patterson and Tilton at University of Chicago. Before that, he worked for the Manhattan Project on separation of radioactive isotopes for weapons. Later, he wrote and lectured on such issues as arms limitations, world hunger, and conservation of natural resources.
• Robert A. Kehoe was a hired defender of the lead industry. Like lead, his effects were harmful, widespread, and long-lasting. His method of casting "scientific uncertainty" on inconvenient truths like the harmfulness of lead has served as a model of corporate irresponsibility for many other industries, including those involved with asbestos, tobacco, pesticides, refrigerants, and nuclear power.
Ideas
• Isotopes
• Radioactivity, half-life, and radioisotope dating
• Mass spectrometry
• Science and values: What values must a society hold in order for science to flourish? For the thoughts of philosopher Jacob Bronowski on this subject, read the excerpts from his book, Science and Human Values, HERE.
• In the light of your thoughts about the previous question, Is a scientist who deliberately misleads the public, as Robert Kehoe did, really a scientist?
• Being a scientist entails a moral commitment.
Updates
• We learn from this episode that the deep ocean can tell us about environmental conditions in the distant past. The flip side is that the effects we have on the ocean will also persist long afterward, even if we recognize and try to correct them. HERE is an example.
Readings
• Poem: "The Abacus and the Rose", by Jacob Bronowski. Read it HERE. What is this poem about? In the last line, what is "the spring"?
• Clair “Pat” Patterson, hero of this story, was the first lead-measurement expert. In 1956, Patterson and his colleague George Tilton estimated the age of the earth using isotope-dating methods involving uranium and lead (more HERE). Their figure, 4.55 billion years, has stood as the best estimate for over 60 years. Patterson helped raise awareness of harmful effects of lead, and demonstrated that almost all lead in the environment comes from human activity. He campaigned successfully for removal of lead from gasoline and many other industrial products.
• Harrison Brown, research director of Patterson and Tilton at University of Chicago. Before that, he worked for the Manhattan Project on separation of radioactive isotopes for weapons. Later, he wrote and lectured on such issues as arms limitations, world hunger, and conservation of natural resources.
• Robert A. Kehoe was a hired defender of the lead industry. Like lead, his effects were harmful, widespread, and long-lasting. His method of casting "scientific uncertainty" on inconvenient truths like the harmfulness of lead has served as a model of corporate irresponsibility for many other industries, including those involved with asbestos, tobacco, pesticides, refrigerants, and nuclear power.
Ideas
• Isotopes
• Radioactivity, half-life, and radioisotope dating
• Mass spectrometry
• Science and values: What values must a society hold in order for science to flourish? For the thoughts of philosopher Jacob Bronowski on this subject, read the excerpts from his book, Science and Human Values, HERE.
• In the light of your thoughts about the previous question, Is a scientist who deliberately misleads the public, as Robert Kehoe did, really a scientist?
• Being a scientist entails a moral commitment.
Updates
• We learn from this episode that the deep ocean can tell us about environmental conditions in the distant past. The flip side is that the effects we have on the ocean will also persist long afterward, even if we recognize and try to correct them. HERE is an example.
Readings
• Poem: "The Abacus and the Rose", by Jacob Bronowski. Read it HERE. What is this poem about? In the last line, what is "the spring"?
