Are scientists responsible for the consequences of their
discoveries? Edith Widder concluded her talk about finding the
giant squid with a controversial remark: "Exploration is the
engine that drives innovation. Innovation drives economic
growth." This was said in a context that we know less about
oceans than we know about space and that we need an organization
comparable to NASA to study the oceans. This sparked a lot of
concerns like the one expressed by Peter Graham: "human
experience tells us that when something of value is discovered,
there are plenty of less well intentioned people who WILL
exploit it for financial gain and couldn't care less about the
future of humanity or of our planet so long as they make their
fortune. That is also part of our human nature. I would be
horrified to see a NASA-like organisation set up to explore the
depths of the oceans, even though I fully support people like
Dr. Edith Widder. Keep the "money sharks" away from our oceans."
I would argue that benefits to humanity brou