THE IMPORTANCE OF SCIENCE

By Zhong Cheng

Scientists are warning that the world has entered a dangerous new phase of the pandemic， with the World Health Organization （WHO） reporting in early August new infections globally surging up 80 percent over the previous four weeks， driven by the more transmissible and deadly Delta variant， which has been found in over 130 countries since first detected in India.

The fight against COVID-19 is an important example of the way science can define and shape responses to global challenges. In the process of finding an effective cure and reliable protection， countries have to rely on scientific knowledge to understand how it can be defeated.

Science in service

We are witnessing an era of exponential growth at every level. In the meantime， we are also living in a post-fact world—a time when misinformation， falsehoods and outright lies spread like viruses， with policy decisions driven by ideology and politics in parts of the globe， resulting in a mistrust in science and scientists.

However， it is science， research and evidence， not wishful thinking or ideology， that give us hope as we face the uncertainties of the pandemic.

We are not powerless in this global health crisis. The world is committed to evidence-based action to fight the challenges of COVID-19. Now is the time for scientific knowledge to form the foundation to win the battle and build the base for societies to respond to similar global challenges in the future.

Real leadership demonstrates itself in respecting science and truth， not political manipulation. From openly calling the virus the “Wuhan virus” to withdrawing from WHO last year， the U.S. has， since the very beginning， tried to politicize the pandemic， and stigmatize the virus.

To substantiate its predetermined conclusion of a“China lab leak，” the U.S. has ignored the hard work of scientists， set aside scientific research and used intelligence agencies to presume guilt. Through misleading means and pressure， it intends to force scientists to bow and turn to support the unfounded accusation.

Pamela Bjorkman， professor of biology at the California Institute of Technology， explained that she co-signed an open letter to Science magazine calling for an investigation into the lab leak theory because she thought the letter would promote “more funding for searching for natural viruses in animal reservoirs” and did not anticipate it would be “used to promote the lab origin hypothesis.” In retrospect， she felt she had acted“perhaps naively.”