The Science of Everything

Here’s a question: what did you do first today when you woke up? Did you brush your teeth using a toothpaste of your preferred brand? Would this also be one of your last actions before hitting the bed at night? But why, though? Well, of course, we learned in our formative years that brushing our teeth twice a day can potentially prevent the development of plaque formed from bacteria acting on residual food particles. We impress this basic oral hygiene habit upon every generation not only because of the lessons learned from experience, but also due to the science behind it.

Our day begins and ends with a little bit of science, doesn’t it? Every hour of every day, we perform actions that are closely associated with science. There is a scientific explanation that is sought and discovered for almost every crucial element of life. Time moves because of the Earth’s orbital motion. Our bodies transform due to chemical and biological phenomena inside and around us. We walk around so casually because of the concept of gravity. Science is the language in which the nature of life itself is explained.

In 1930, an Indian physicist by the name of Sir C. V. Raman became the first Asian to be awarded a Nobel Prize in any field of science through a spectacular discovery that when light travels through a transparent medium, there is a change in the wavelength and frequency of the deflected light. He also worked extensively on the analysis of Indian percussion instruments and famously reframed the explanation of why the sea appears blue. The Raman Effect was discovered on 28 February 1928; almost forty years before India won its independence. This shows that there was an abundance of brilliant minds that was never shackled by a lack of liberty.

Fast forward to the present, this day, 28 February is celebrated as National Science Day.

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