What Is and What Is Not Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

What Is and What Is Not Science - Essay Example To be alive requires breathing; it is to inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. Life generates a significant amount of chemical free energy which skips not only limitations but also inefficiencies linked to transfer of power within the planet’s thermodynamic hierarchy. Some people such as Frank Drake believe humankind is alone in the universe. Drake argued that if there were aliens in deep space, their communication would have been discovered. Enrico Fermi believed otherwise. Fermi argued that there existed extraterrestrial intelligence in nearby systems. According to Fermi, we are not the only humans in the universe. Only Drake’s argument is a science. Science involves qualitative and quantitative testing; Drake believed if there were other humans in the universe, their communication would have been discovered. Fermi’s argument is not science because he used only observation to make his claim.  Radiocarbon dating determines the age of a material or object. C arbon decays at a constant rate (5,730  ± 40years), the date at which an organism died can be estimated by measuring the sum of its residual radiocarbon. Radiocarbon measurements were made a shroud that was believed to have covered Jesus to determine its age. The result of the study which took place in Turin showed the shroud was made in1260-1390 AD. The current controversy of the shroud shows that the shroud is 2000 years. Giulio Fanti used infrared and Roman spectroscopy to determine the amount of cellulose in the shroud fiber.