We Are Still Profoundly Ignorant in the Field of Life Sciences
Why are there living organisms on Earth? How did we humans come into being? Why do we fall ill? Is it possible for us to completely eradicate all disease? Pursuing answers to these questions makes us realize that our species, which calls itself a higher intelligent animal, is still in a state of profound ignorance.
In 1804, the world's living human population reached one billion for the first time. Today, the population increases by one billion every 13-14 years, and our total population is about to reach eight billion. Moreover, per capita life expectancy has more than doubled compared to a century ago, which means that we humans need to consume enormous amounts of resources.
In 1980, the global population was about 4.45 billion, and at that time Earth's resources were just sufficient to supply all human needs. Today, we need 1.5 to 2 Earths to feed the existing population; because the population is so large, Earth is already in a state of overdraft, and many resources are being exploited in a way that drains the pond. A considerable portion of these resources, once depleted, cannot be regenerated, and the survival of our descendants will face enormous challenges. Therefore, some scientists wonder whether, in the next 1,000 years, our species might go extinct on Earth.
Before we go extinct, we may still not know the ultimate mysteries of life. According to some biologists, there may be 10-50 million species on Earth, of which we currently know only one to two percent, and there are still large numbers of unknown organisms. Over 60% of Earth's organisms are microorganisms invisible to the naked eye, and each of us carries a large number of microbes.
Strictly speaking, these microorganisms are the true masters of Earth; we are merely carriers for these microbes. Some plagues caused by microorganisms can cause drastic population declines; for example, bubonic plague once reduced Europe's population by about three-quarters. The smallpox virus killed more than 300 million people over a hundred years — a number greater than the total death toll from all wars in human history. Will some new deadly microorganism cause a drastic population decline in the future? Based on historical experience, this is highly likely.
The level of clinical medicine is unbelievably limited; the cause of over 60% of diseases is still unclear, and they cannot be treated. Fewer than 40% of diseases are treatable, and many of these are self-limiting diseases — diseases that resolve whether treated or not. The health problems that medicine can truly solve are only about 10-20%.
In most cases, the treatment doctors give patients only relieves their suffering and cannot cure their disease. Therefore, the role of clinicians is more to comfort patients and alleviate their pain, rather than to produce the instant cure that patients and their families expect.
Humanity's confidence in its own abilities and expectations of medicine are somewhat unrealistic. Over the past two hundred years, the rapid development of science has led humans to arrogantly believe they have conquered nature and can solve any problem. Little do we realize that our understanding of the world and of ourselves is still very limited; our knowledge of our own lives remains only at a superficial level.
I love biology and medicine, and I devote a great deal of time to studying biological and medical knowledge. The more I learn, the more I understand how limited the capabilities of our human species are, and the more I understand how precious the life nature has bestowed upon us is. I also come to better understand the importance of revering natural laws, treating our hard-won lives with kindness, and treating our Earth and all other living beings on it with kindness. Only by following natural laws and treating Earth and other living beings with kindness can we enjoy as much as possible the limited life that nature has bestowed upon us.