How Science Will Save Us

As a writer, anything observed can spark a visceral reaction. The tone of a writer's work offers a window into how the writer feels about the given subject. In spite of discipline and editorial curation, emotions are challenging to hide so that reaction will likely be visible to others. At least it will be perceptible to those who look for such things.

As a scientist, any observation becomes an insight that can spark a series of methodical next steps. It all begins with an assessment of the data towards the elucidation of what is known versus unknown. When you're both a writer and a scientist, as I am, the combination of the two can have an explosive potential that approaches the power of nuclear fission.

In some cases, the reaction is so strong that it compels you to act. The result? I wrote my current novel, COVID-19 The Battle for Humanity: How Science Will Save Us, within the span of about a week and published it a few days ago. In contrast, my first novel, One Sip at a Time: a Memoir, which won the 2018 Gold Medal US National Indie Book Award, took over two years to complete: I lost track after investing more than 400 hours in it.

The Battle for Humanity was spurred by the words of H. Holden Thorp, PhD, editor-in-chief of Science Magazine. On March 11, 2020, Dr. Thorp penned a rather blunt but spot-on editorial addressed to President Trump. His words instantly wormed their way into my cortex:

"But you can’t insult science when you don’t like it and then suddenly insist on something that science can’t give on demand. Do us a favor, Mr. President. If you want something, start treating science and its principles with respect" ~H. Holden Thorp, PhD

That night, I sat down at my laptop and the words literally fell out of my head and onto my screen. The experience was unlike anything I've had before with an intensity that was sustained for more than a week. I was compelled and chose writing over sleeping.

The intertwined stories of characters plucked from the news essentially assembled themselves at a pace so fast and furious that I could barely keep up. Each night, I (happily) met my family and dinner obligations then sat down at 8:00 pm in a reclining chair and wrote into the wee hours. I repeated this for eight nights in a row until I had completed my manuscript and designed the cover art. Interestingly enough, my novel required ten days to be cleared for publication given the controversial nature of this hot-potato topic.

The context: scientists suck at marketing

For decades, I've been in conversations with other scientists lamenting how ineffective our community has been - as a whole - with respect to marketing ourselves. Surveys show that scientists, at least prior to COVID-19 and the incredible leadership showcased by Dr. Anthony Fauci, don't ever make it to the list of the Top 10 Most Respected Professions. These lists feature the usual suspects such as doctors, lawyers, accountants and engineers along with a few surprises like government officials and management consultants. Scientists are simply MIA and the last ones to secure an invitation to the party.

Why is that? When you've read enough scientific articles, you'll notice patterns. Even in the face of black and white seemingly irrefutable data, scientists will still hesitate to make a bold claim. They don't because scientists understand that there is always an opportunity for a margin of error, despite how slim it may be. So, they tone the language down by making statements like, "The data suggest..." or "Hence the possibility that..." and so on. Scientists also tend to have a penchant for the word "moreover" so that they can squeeze in an additional string of factoids to support their conclusion - yet they still don't say it with conviction.

Lay people don't value data and don't trust scientists

In my opinion, lay people have associated this apparent "wishy-washy" lack of conviction and confidence in the conclusion with a disbelief of its validity. This has had dire consequences over the years. For example, the theory of evolution has been stripped out of many elementary and high school curricula or downplayed despite the Federal Courts ruling against just about every case creationists have brought forward for the past 40+ years.

Polio, once declared "eradicated," is on the rise again. And there has been a resurgence of measles at "emergency levels" in the USA along with several other countries as a direct consequence of the momentum behind the anti-vaxxers' movement. Seventeen states now offer non-medical exemptions which allow parents to decline from the obligation of vaccinating their children. Herd immunity doesn't work if the 90-95% majority of the herd isn't vaccinated, hence the pockets of infection that have been observed in select communities.

In 2002, a Danish team conducted one of the world's largest studies done to date on any disease: they performed a retrospective analysis of 537,303 children to demonstrate that there was no link between autism and vaccination. Apparently, that study wasn't big enough to persuade the anti-vaxxers to back off or compelling enough to convince government officials to mandate MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) or polio vaccinations. So, in 2019, the same Danish team updated their study, augmenting it to 657,461 children and their conclusion was - no shock here - unchanged. Unequivocally, they concluded, "there is no perceptible link between autism and vaccination."

Ixnay to measles vaccines but where's our COVID-19 vaccine?

Here's the ironic twist. Vaccinations of MMR and polio are still not nationally mandated and anti-vaxxers continue to "protect" their children by refusing to vaccinate them. Many parents continue to host "natural immunity" parties with children infected with chicken pox or other viruses. Yet the world is now clamoring for a COVID-19 vaccination. And scientists can't make it fast enough.

Somewhere along the way, the world has lost the plot. People don't trust the data offered by scientists. Dr. Thorp was spot-on in his condemnation of our administration for their lack of respect shown to scientists. Simply stated, you can't have it both ways: you can't insult scientists then expect a command performance from them.

And that became the thesis for my book.

Other tropes covered in my novel include an open condemnation of xenophobia and racism in general. COVID-19 The Battle for Humanity celebrates the collective effort of scientists around the globe who have rallied to put an end to this scourge that is currently wreaking havoc on every aspect of our lives on Earth. Collaborative discovery is our only hope. For example, the COVID-19 data commons currently under development is leading the way as a central host for all data and analytics available to study the novel coronavirus. This year alone, more than 500 peer-reviewed scientific publications on the topic have already appeared, each advancing our collective knowledge one step closer towards finding a cure and developing a vaccine.

I commend all scientists and engineers who are working diligently - many of them volunteering their time and expertise - to squash this pandemic. Healthcare workers and supply chain personnel must also be celebrated for their efforts on the front-lines. And every single one of us who is self-isolating and staying home to stay safe is doing our part.

We're in this together.

The exam question is, how long will this compassion for others, renewed sense of conservation, respect and shared spirit of collaboration persist after life returns to normal?

Authors secure shockingly small royalties on publishers' platforms, so it will take a lot of sales on a $2.99 e-Book for me to generate a meaningful donation for our NJ Community Foodbank. That said, I would appreciate honest feedback, public reviews and shares of my book. It truly celebrates science, the efforts of scientists and a offers a sampling of the research ongoing now that will save us all. Plus, it has a twist or two so it's a compelling read, thrilling and suspenseful so that even non-scientists will enjoy reading it and learning about science!

I am a #STEMinist and do what I can to encourage the broad adoption and passion for all things STEM. And, perhaps for the first time in history, the world appears to be captivated by the science behind coronaviruses and is interested in learning more.

COVID-19 The Battle for Humanity: How Science Saved Us is available around the world on Amazon --> HERE.

One Sip at a Time: a Memoir, a 2018 Gold Medal book, is also available around the world on Amazon --> HERE.