Science is a concept at the centre of our lives, with a very broad scope. Although many of you may think that science is only about experiments conducted in laboratories, it actually affects our daily lives in countless ways. From the safety of the food that reaches our tables every morning to the treatment of diseases, science is deeply intertwined with our existence. Its presence is inevitable. This summer, as a student of molecular biology and genetics, I was grateful for the chance to contribute, even in a small way, by being part of a research project. During my internship at the University of Southampton, I witnessed firsthand how science touches society.

My project was on a topic known as “alternative splicing”, which is the process of genes being read in different ways to produce different proteins. I focused on how actin and tubulin proteins, which are part of the cytoskeleton, are expressed differently in muscles, the brain, and many other places. I studied how differences in expression patterns give rise to the production of diverse proteins. I realize this may sound overly academic. It’s like multiple people using the same recipe to bake a cake, but each cake comes out slightly different. So, what does this mean for society? Fundamentally, it focuses on contributing to the advancement and well-being of humanity. While my internship specifically contributed to understanding the causes of diseases such as dementia or Alzheimer’s, similar research in other labs focuses on different illnesses, searching for solutions. Science holds the answers that touch every part of our lives. By applying these insights, science becomes an essential part of daily life.

In this way, science, driven by the goal of improving human life, has become more society-oriented. It plays an important role not only in treating diseases but also in solving environmental problems and advancing technology. Thus, science descends into daily life and moves forward hand in hand with society. In other words, science is knowledge in action, working for the well-being of humanity. Finally, I want to thank science and scientists for enabling you to read these words, and to emphasize that science exists not just for its own sake, but to serve society.

İlayda Turhan
Bilkent University/ Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics