It is this impulse that has always helped drive science. It is this desire that sparks imaginations. Whether it be on the scale of the stars or the nanoparticle, wonder and curiosity have spurred discovery and, consequently, scientific application and today's knowledge.
It could well be that inspired scientific stars of tomorrow are among the many hundreds taking part in the eighth New Zealand International Science Festival in Dunedin this week. Others might develop into the essential foot soldiers of scientific progress, while a majority may still be scientifically enriched in various ways wherever their interests and careers take them. The festival, germinated by the original enthusiasm of Dame Elizabeth Hanan, has become an important part of the Dunedin calendar.
Many scientists, as evidenced by the festival, are determined to prove their field is neither dull nor incomprehensible. The very titles of their activities zing. Thus, the University of Otago's science expo is labelled "What makes us Tic? Let's Tock!". "Do you want Fries with that? " the human nutrition corner proclaims. Anatomy is labelled "We love [as a red heart] Anatomy", a sheep's heart is dissected live and 'your "insides" are painted on a T-shirt.
Such is the leap of scientists from lab coats into popular headlines, aided by science educators and journalists, that it might even become necessary to beware hype. The announcement this week of the discovery of a new subatomic particle, which is believed to be crucial in the formation of the universe, is attracting much attention. This seems to be a fundamental discovery, and it is encouraging to see it being discussed in the media. But let's not invest its description as the "God particle" with too much meaning. Let the metaphor be used to help understand the particle's possible role and for publicity and that's all.
Of course, we do not have to understand the workings of a car to drive and, likewise, we do not require extensive specific scientific knowledge to function with the fruits of modern science.
Nevertheless, in an age of so much pseudo science, of so many claims and of a surfeit of superstitious beliefs, a discernment of basic scientific method is important. Science is about properly testing hypotheses and independent verification. Knowing that, a healthy scientific scepticism is necessary to question claims about untested health remedies and products or unsubstantiated beliefs.
As astronomer and astrophysicist Carl Sagan put it: "Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge." While, intrinsically, science is morally neutral, its fruits in human hands can be deadly, the classic example being nuclear weapons. Humankind, nonetheless, must rely on science if we are to be guided through 21st-century perils. Science has helped us understand the need for biological diversity and sustainability. And despite the strong scientific consensus about the human role in global climate change, science should also tell us that little of that complexity is certain.
Because the predictions appear persuasive and the probable consequences are cataclysmic, an effective response is seen by many as crucial.
In the meantime, science plays its ubiquitous roles behind technology, medicine and every facet of modern life, as amply illustrated by the breadth and depth of the science festival programme.
Science is both practical and wondrous and worlds away from the archetypal laboratory of test tubes.
The next time the moon beams its full beauty upon the earth and we dwell in wonder, these words of the world's most famous scientist, Albert Einstein, are apt.
"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science."
Those of poet and essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson also ring true: "Men love to wonder, and that is the seed of science."
