Recently, one of the most brilliant scientists/researchers dies in Portugal, age 80, from C-19. She left an open letter as a testimony for future generations. I used an online translator, so apologies, but the general meaning is clear.
"Posthumous testimony by the 80-year-old scientist Maria de Sousa, who died on April 14 with covid-19.
Prof. of the Medical School of Univ. from Lisbon and researcher at the João Lobo Antunes Institute of Molecular Medicine
She realized the organized migration of lymphocytes, cells of the immune system, has her name in the manuals about this system.
This text is an important lesson, of knowledge and lucidity, that Maria de Sousa leaves to all of us.
This testimony should be given to be read and explained to all young people, in schools and in families (not to mention adults, rulers or ordinary citizens) because it represents a sure warning and alert pointed to the problems of today and the immediate future.
Open letter from an optimistic scientist to new generations
The scientist Maria de Sousa, upon learning that she was infected with covid-19 and aware of her high-risk situation, said goodbye saying:
"I hope to endure through those who stay alive". As painful and sad as death is, life as we know it on Earth is infinite. The new generations succeed one another cyclically and it is always up to them to build our collective future.
It is part of being young to be convinced that we will be able to change the world for the better.
I am no longer chronologically young, but I still believe in an optimistic scenario for the future of humanity!
It takes courage to change, especially when our current lifestyle is so comfortable.
However, the scientific evidence is irrefutable: man's exploitation of nature is unsustainable.
We are obsessed with economic growth, but it is not possible for the economies of all countries to continue to grow indefinitely. I believe it is essential that today's young people become aware of the inevitable short-term risks and make their voices heard, putting pressure on society for change.
I believe that science and technology will become even more essential in our lives. We need rigorous observations and measurements of everything that is happening in all places on the planet to be alert and know where to act. But above all, we need new solutions to live in harmony with the Earth, from new ways of moving to new ways of eating and recycling the garbage we produce. New solutions to a problem do not suddenly appear out of nowhere. Years of intense scientific research are needed, and many problems are still to be solved.
For example, regarding the current pandemic, it is important to remember that between 1918 and 1919 there was an outbreak of infection caused by a new influenza virus that killed around 50 million people worldwide. Protective masks, disinfectants and social distancing were already used, but there were no diagnostic tests, no medications, no ventilators. The first flu vaccine was developed in 1940 and applied only to the military. In 1960 alone, after a pandemic caused by a new influenza virus that killed more than a million people between 1957 and 1958 worldwide, vaccination programs for high-risk groups (ie people with chronic illnesses) began or older than 65). A vaccine confers immunity against a specific type of virus. Now, the flu virus changes its genetic information very often, giving rise to new forms of viruses that escape the effect of the vaccine. This genetic diversity also gives rise, occasionally, to more aggressive forms of viruses that cause pandemics. It happened again in 1968, with more than one million deaths worldwide, and just ten years ago, in 2009, causing the death of around 600 thousand people worldwide. Because the ability to reinvent itself genetically is a characteristic of all viruses, humanity has always been and will continue to be subject to outbreaks of infection by new viruses. This was the case of HIV - human immunodeficiency virus, which causes AIDS. This new disease began to be detected in 1981 in the USA and has already killed 32 million people worldwide. In 1994, AIDS was, in the USA, the main cause of death for people between 25 and 44 years old. It was only in 1995 that the first drugs began to be tested, which would have great success, preventing deaths and turning AIDS into a chronic disease.
More recently, in 2003, the first cases of a new respiratory disease called SARS, caused by a coronavirus related to the current SARS-CoV-2, were reported in China. In the midst of a pandemic, society is asking scientists for effective drugs and vaccines.
What lessons can be learned for the future? Above all, new generations must be aware that they are going to be faced with great challenges. The lack of respect for wild animals, victims of capture and commercialization, favors human infection by new viruses (or other pathogenic microorganisms) that could cause mortality rates much higher than the current pandemic. Many models still practiced in the agricultural industry encourage the destruction of forests, interfere with soil quality, are polluters and favor the spread of epidemics in plants and animals. There will certainly be major natural disasters like fires, storms and earthquakes. Climate change is an installed reality. It will run out of water and increase pollution. The societies of the future will depend on science and technology to deal with disasters. But today's societies insist on ignoring scientists' multiple warnings of imminent dangers that can still be avoided.
For this reason, I leave here my appeal to the new generations to end once and for all the illusion that it will be possible to continue living with today's habits and doing the usual business. My other appeal is to value and cultivate science. All young people, regardless of their future professions, must be trained to apply the scientific method to the problems they encounter on a daily basis. Strict observation, logical reasoning in deductions, conclusions based on experimentation. In parallel, science-related professions must be attractive and desirable. This implies organization, infrastructure and resources that are constantly updated.
Finally, a warning: all areas of knowledge are equally important. The most transformative technological advances resulted from discoveries that might, at first glance, seem irrelevant. For the advancement of science there are no useless research topics, as long as the questions are well formulated.
And science cannot fail to advance, otherwise we will not be able to solve the immense challenges that we will face!"