Awe and Wonder in Scientific Practice: Implications for the Relationship Between Science and Religion

This paper examines the role of awe and wonder in scientific practice. Drawing on evidence from psychological research and the writings of scientists and science communicators, I argue that awe and wonder play a crucial role in scientific discovery. They focus our attention on the natural world, encourage open-mindedness, diminish the self (particularly feelings of self-importance), help to accord value to the objects that are being studied, and provide a mode of understanding in the absence of full knowledge. I will flesh out implications of the role of awe and wonder in scientific discovery for debates on the relationship between science and religion. Abraham Heschel argued that awe and wonder are religious emotions because they reduce our feelings of self-importance, and thereby help to cultivate the proper reverent attitude towards God. Yet metaphysical naturalists such as Richard Dawkins insist that awe and wonder need not lead to any theistic commitments for scientists. The awe some scientists experience can be regarded as a form of non-theistic spirituality, which is neither a reductive naturalism nor theism. I will attempt to resolve the tension between these views by identifying some common ground

Phase I study to determine the safety, tolerability and immunostimulatory activity of thalidomide analogue CC-5013 in patients with metastatic malignant melanoma and other advanced cancers

We assessed the safety, tolerability and efficacy of the immunomodulatory drug, CC-5013 (REVIMID(TM)), in the treatment of patients with metastatic malignant melanoma and other advanced cancers. A total of 20 heavily pretreated patients received a dose-escalating regimen of oral CC-5013. Maximal tolerated dose, toxicity and clinical responses were evaluated and analysis of peripheral T-cell surface markers and serum for cytokines and proangiogenic factors were performed. CC-5013 was well tolerated. In all, 87% of adverse effects were classified as grade 1 or grade 2 according to Common Toxicity Criteria and there were no serious adverse events attributable to CC-5013 treatment. Six patients failed to complete the study, three because of disease progression, two withdrew consent and one was entered inappropriately and withdrawn from the study. The remaining 14 patients completed treatment without dose reduction, with one patient achieving partial remission. Evidence of T-cell activation was indicated by significantly increased serum levels of sIL-2 receptor, granulocyte- macrophage colony-stimulating factor, interleukin-12 (IL-12), tumour necrosis factor-alpha and IL-8 in nine patients from whom serum was available. However, levels of proangiogenic factors vascular endothelial growth factor and basic foetal growth factor were not consistently affected, This study demonstrates the safety, tolerability and suggests the clinical activity of CC-5013 in the treatment of refractory malignant melanoma. Furthermore, this is the first report demonstrating T-cell stimulatory activity of this class of compound in patients with advanced cancer

Spatiotemporal scaling of North American continental interior wetlands: implications for shorebird conservation

Within interior North America, erratic weather patterns and heterogeneous wetland complexes cause wide spatio-temporal variation in the resources available to migrating shorebirds. Identifying the pattern-generating components of landscape-level resources and the scales at which shorebirds respond to these patterns will better facilitate conservation efforts for these species. We constructed descriptive models that identified weather variables associated with creating the spatio-temporal patterns of shorebird habitat in ten landscapes in north-central Oklahoma. We developed a metric capable of measuring the dynamic composition and configuration of shorebird habitat in the region and used field data to empirically estimate the spatial scale at which shorebirds respond to the amount and configuration of habitat. Precipitation, temperature, solar radiation and wind speed best explained the incidence of wetland habitat, but relationships varied among wetland types. Shorebird occurrence patterns were best explained by habitat density estimates at a 1.5 km scale. This model correctly classified 86 % of shorebird observations. At this scale, when habitat density was low, shorebirds occurred in 5 % of surveyed habitat patches but occurrence reached 60 % when habitat density was high. Our results suggest scale dependence in the habitat-use patterns of migratory shorebirds. We discuss potential implications of our results and how integrating this information into conservation efforts may improve conservation strategies and management practices