3D Data Visualization Module 1.3: Computational Science

Summary

This script explores the evolution of scientific research, highlighting the shift from experimental and theoretical science to computational science as a third pillar. It discusses the use of supercomputers to simulate phenomena unobservable through traditional means, such as black holes, earthquakes, and virus dynamics. The script also touches on the application of high-performance computing in personalized medicine, political science, and plant breeding, emphasizing the growing importance of computational data sets and visualization in advancing scientific understanding.

Takeaways

• 🔬 Scientists systematically gather evidence to test hypotheses and gain understanding of natural phenomena.
• 👀 Some evidence is easily observable, such as the reaction between vinegar and baking soda, while other evidence requires technological assistance like microscopes and telescopes.
• 🌌 There are challenges in observing phenomena that are too far, too small, blocked from view, or move at extreme speeds or slowness.
• 🧪 Experimental science involves intentionally causing or observing reactions under various conditions, often on a large scale with significant resources.
• 📚 Theoretical science, once limited by the inability to directly measure certain phenomena, has been revolutionized by the advent of powerful computers.
• 💻 Computational science, or the use of computer simulations, has become the third pillar of modern science alongside experimental and theoretical science.
• 🌌 Astrophysics was one of the first fields to utilize supercomputers to solve complex equations and simulate phenomena like black holes.
• 🌍 Geophysics has also benefited from high-performance computing (HPC), using real measurements to simulate events like earthquakes and weather patterns.
• 🦠 Biophysics researchers use computational tools to study the mechanics of viruses at the atomic level, which is beyond the capabilities of optical microscopes.
• 💊 High-performance computing is now being used to develop personalized medicine, analyze political districting for fairness, and simulate future climate scenarios for agriculture.
• 🚀 The computational datasets available today offer deep insights into scientific questions that were previously unanswerable by physical means.
• 📉 Visualization is a key method for analyzing and educating with the vast amounts of data produced by HPC, as illustrated by the history and work of the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA).
• 🌌 The detection of gravitational waves by LIGO in 2015 validated decades of computational research and marked a significant milestone in the field of computational astrophysics.

Q & A

What is the primary role of a scientist according to the script?

A scientist's primary role is to systematically gather evidence to test a hypothesis and gain understanding of various phenomena.

How do scientists gather evidence for phenomena that are observable directly?

Scientists can gather evidence for directly observable phenomena by watching things change in front of their eyes, such as the reaction when vinegar is added to baking soda.

What technological inventions have been made to assist scientists in observing phenomena that are not easily visible?

Microscopes and telescopes are technological inventions that help scientists observe very small and very large phenomena, respectively.

What are some examples of phenomena that are difficult to observe directly?

Examples of difficult-to-observe phenomena include things that are too far away (like galaxies), too small (like atoms), blocked from view (like the center of the sun), move too fast (like light), or move too slow (like the cosmos).

What is experimental science and how is it conducted?

Experimental science is a method where scientists intentionally cause a reaction or identify a naturally occurring reaction and repeatedly observe it under different conditions, often requiring large-scale equipment and numerous researchers.

What is theoretical science and how does it differ from experimental science?

Theoretical science involves using the mind as a laboratory to explore scientific questions that cannot be directly measured through experimentation. It differs from experimental science by relying on mathematical models and thought experiments rather than physical observations or experiments.

How has the rise of powerful computers changed scientific research?

The rise of powerful computers has enabled the creation of virtual laboratories with computer code that can simulate scientific events impossible to observe in the real world, thus adding computational science as a third pillar alongside experimental and theoretical science.

What was one of the first non-military applications for supercomputers mentioned in the script?

One of the first non-military applications for supercomputers was solving Einstein's equations of general relativity, which are mathematically complex but provide insights into how black holes work.

How did the geophysics community contribute to the field of high-performance computing (HPC)?

The geophysics community contributed to HPC by studying earthquakes, the climate, and performing predictive simulations of extreme weather events, feeding supercomputer simulations with real measurements from earth-based sensors.

What is an example of how supercomputers are used in biophysics research?

In biophysics research, supercomputers are used as computational microscopes to observe how viruses function on a mechanical level at the resolution of individual atoms, which would be too small and fast to observe through an optical microscope.

How is high-performance computing (HPC) being utilized in modern scientific research?

HPC is being used to prescribe genetically customized medicine, calculate voting district maps for political science, and breed virtual crops under future climate scenarios in plant science, among other applications.

What is the significance of the computational simulation of a volcano on Venus mentioned in the script?

The significance of the computational simulation of a volcano on Venus is that it had to be an illustration guided by a scientist due to the lack of an appropriate computer simulation of a volcanic eruption, highlighting the limitations and advancements in computational science.

What was the outcome of the early experiment conducted by NCSA astrophysicists on black holes?

The early experiment conducted by NCSA astrophysicists on black holes led to the discovery that they would cause an aberration in SpaceTime called a gravitational wave, which was later detected by the LIGO instrument in 2015, validating the computational scientists' work.