[Initial Moment] When Science Parts Ways with Politics

Ministry of Science and ICT Regrets Breaking Promise to Develop Saliva COVID-19 Diagnostic Equipment by March

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] Many people live under a misconception, but humanity is not the first owner of the Earth, nor is there any guarantee that it will last forever. According to Peter Brannen's book, The Ends of the World, the Earth has changed its owners five times through mass extinctions over its 4.5 billion-year history. A mass extinction refers to an event in which more than half of the Earth's animal species disappear within one million years.

The most commonly known and most recent event occurred about 66 million years ago at the end of the Cretaceous period, when the dinosaurs went extinct. It was the fifth mass extinction in Earth's history. A meteorite impact on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico triggered massive volcanic eruptions, and the dinosaurs that dominated the Earth at the time were left only as fossils. The most devastating mass extinction happened about 250 million years ago at the end of the Permian period. Approximately 96% of species, including trilobites and ammonites, became extinct. Recent studies have revealed that the cause was global warming due to the Siberian large-scale volcanic eruptions. The lava emitted by the volcanic eruptions caused enormous fires, releasing massive amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which led to severe warming. As the temperature of the seawater rapidly increased, the oxygen concentration sharply dropped, resulting in the extinction of marine life that dominated the oceans at the time.

Now that humanity dominates the Earth, unfortunately, the possibility of a sixth mass extinction is increasing. It is not due to external natural events such as asteroid impacts or large-scale volcanic eruptions that humans cannot control. Rather, it is caused by greenhouse gases produced by burning enormous amounts of fossil fuels during industrialization, which raise the Earth's temperature and cause disasters such as rising sea levels and climate change. Environmental destruction, such as in the Amazon rainforest, and microplastic pollution may also tighten the noose around the Earth and humanity at any time. Scientists warn that if the risks caused by continuous fossil fuel combustion are not reduced or reversed, humanity will not be able to avoid a fate similar to that of the end of the Permian period.

In such a perilous time, humanity's weapon is science and technology. Especially as cold rationality and meticulous response are needed in the face of crisis, scientists who research and develop science and technology must not be swayed by politics, ideology, popular appeal, or fame. They must rely solely on objective and empirical research results. We have witnessed that when scientists become biased by politics, ideology, or personal desires, it leads to tremendous confusion and waste of resources.

The fake stem cell cloning scandal involving former Seoul National University professor Hwang Woo-suk is a representative example. Another case is the political interference during the Park Geun-hye administration, which hastened the lunar exploration plan for political reasons but eventually postponed it due to technical problems. These are examples of politics meddling in science and causing trouble.

The Ministry of Science and ICT's promise from late last year until about a month ago to complete the development of a saliva-based COVID-19 diagnostic device by March quietly disappeared without any explanation. Had it been developed as promised, it would have been a ray of hope helping citizens suffering from COVID-19 return to daily life, but it turned out to be empty words.

Whether this was due to overambition influenced by political schedules such as the April 7 by-elections or an exaggeration by the company responsible for development is unknown. However, since it gave the public false expectations and ultimately caused confusion, a clear explanation and apology are necessary. There must be a statement that the public can accept.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.