Fiction, reality, and molecular neurology.

Abstract

What was considered fiction and myth in one era of human history has become mundane reality in another era. Our scientific predecessors unraveled the mysteries of the physical world by asking questions and seeking answers. This exercise led to new knowledge and, more importantly, to the creation of novelty by manipulating the laws of nature. Some examples are antibiotics, electricity, computers, and modes of transportation and communication. Another critical contribution of science is to arrest and reverse damage caused by wide dissemination of personally held misconceptions. Individuals with epilepsy were thought to be witches possessed by the devil, and, until recently, medical students were taught that the adult brain is incapable of neurogenesis. These fallacies may stem from the need to organize the laws of nature within the frame of current knowledge, thus limiting the advancement of knowledge. Furthermore, when knowledge is presented in the classroom as truth, erroneous convictions could restrain the inquisitive minds of the next generation. Advances in the fields of medicine, physics, and computer science are arguably the most spectacular scientific achievements of the 20th century. Functional imaging of the brain has assayed memory in normal and some neurological disease states. The discovery of DNA led to the development of powerful tools in molecular biology. For instance, polymerase chain reaction has applications in medicine and also in various other fields, such as law and anthropology. The results of polymerase chain reaction are now used to make diagnoses early in the course of many elusive infectious diseases, to predict familial predisposition to cancer or neurological disease, and to gather genetic evidence that dates the existence of first humans (the scientific Adam and Eve) and track migrations of historical populations. Furthermore, DNA evidence has proved the innocence of individuals convicted for crimes they did not commit. The results of polymerase chain reaction that are used as evidence in court proceedings have redefined the concept of proof beyond the shadow of a doubt; before the members of the jury cast a verdict, they must be educated about the current technologies and their limitations. In conjunction with advances in molecular biology, the imminent completion of the Human Genome Project