Take the long view

Abstract

Sue Bowler, Editor In these tough times – for everyone – it is worth thinking a bit about the real value of our sciences. Rather than accept decisions made on the basis of a snapshot of today’s successes, we should all be aware of our catalogue of achievements in the long term. And I don’t mean just the considerable astronomical and navigational heritage embodied by, for example, the Tompion clock now at home in the Royal Observatory Greenwich – replica of the original 17th-century world-leader. Much of this issue is dedicated to the more than half a century of science in a new field: geophysical and astrophysical fluid dynamics. This is a field largely sparked by the deceptively simple experiments devised and carried out some 60 years ago by Raymond Hide. This whole new field, arising from observing the flow of fluid between two cylinders, now illuminates studies of stellar and planetary interiors, climate modelling and even brings us better weather forecasts. None of these were goals of the original experiments. They arose from curiosity, ingenuity and hard work, coupled with a lovely appreciation of the significance of the results. These are the things that make good science – and they are what attracts people to science. Just look at the responses to telescopes at a music festival, and the chance to study astronomy at school, documented in this issue. Curiosity, fascination with physical phenomena and a drive to explore are what draw people into our physical sciences. And that in turn brings them excellent employment prospects and higher than usual salaries. UK science has been very successful for many decades – even centuries. If we can keep up investment in science, science will in turn reward UK industry as well as keep our science leading the world. Editorial NEws