Science and Social Influence: A New Perspective

A theme that continues in this week’s readings and blog posts, is the influence sociality has on science. Our first in class reading, as well as several of the following dealt with the innate challenge scientists face – the unavoidable integration of their own socialization into their science. Whether it be as simple as subconsciously applying their own biases to their hypotheses or as subtle as them choosing to present their data to others in a certain way, because human scientists practice science, it can never be completely technological.

Interestingly, this week, this theme is approached from a different angle; instead of looking as social aspects of life as a hindrance to science, a few of the articles describe situations in which these social aspects are a lens throough which to analyze science. As Robert points out in his summary of The Molecularization of Race, there have been attempts to even integrate social concepts such as race into science, by examining genetic differences between individuals of different racial backgrounds. However, while the article describes experiments, which may lay the groundwork for such studies, it does fail to find any thoroughly conclusive evidence for certain SNP repetitions within a certain race.  I agree with Robert, that at least until or if there is true evidence that correlates genetic patterns with certain races, race is not the best way to categorize the data collected.

The Anthropology of Microbes article also uses a social lens to look at scientific diversity by conceptualizing the interaction of biology and environment (physical and social) in the discussion of microbiomes. The “microbial communities” that influence a person’s biology are dependant on factors such as food and medical practice, but these factors in turn, are dependent on social and cultural practice (p. 1). This article consciously looks at “how gender and its corresponding cultural, economic, and familial roles impact the microbiome.” For example, antibiotic resistance, which is discussed in the article, arises often due to individuals failing to complete a round of antibiotics; a habit, which comes about due to our culturally constructed idea that sickness, is only present when symptoms are. Thus, through the analysis of these microbiomes, the influence of sociality on technology, or science, is taken into account. This sharply contrasts the ideas we came across in earlier readings of trying to isolate the two as much as possible!