The history of relations between citizen and science interesting and monotonous to the same extent as the history of relations Romeo and Juliette: all the way is the same, but each time in a new way. The year is almost gone new stories are not written, but the old stories got an exciting continuation of what we are here and will pobraniem a slightly sweet Christmas mash.

I

"The share of the human mind in one of his knowledge, had the strange fate: his beset questions from which he cannot escape, because they were imposed on him his own nature; but at the same time he can't answer them because they exceed the capabilities of the human mind", Immanuel Kant defined the problem, and if to it to add something, it is only an attempt to resolve. The most effective method was to science, that is instrumental console to the feelings and mind that extend human knowledge and, importantly, living its own logic than the one through which I can arrange my witness companion, the one that enables you to receive new knowledge. In a sense, this logic is inhuman because it anyway, as you had Breakfast that you have with your family and what a dictator is now in the court: two plus two always will be four.

For the layman same science is a collection of answers. In his dictionary of "smart" brand is synonymous with "the know-it-all". It seems that science has assumed the exclusive right to know everything. This treason cannot but irritate respectable ladies and gentlemen, it is obvious that it is impossible to know everything. Therefore, each time when a scientist shrugs, man in the street screaming "Yes!", that your parrot Sigmund, and when eggheads prevents rednecky to be a man with all his newname, the comfortable intercepts ahead of broken fence Nr.

In 2012 examples of that, and the other was enough, but we will restrict ourselves to two of the most egregious conflict, with more than one year. Seismology and climatology are still at the stage of developing methods that would allow to make the necessary observations and then to interpret the data so as to build explaining and forecasting theory. For the lack of clear answers they are bits impatient layman more often than other Sciences.

II

Perhaps the most ugly way with seismology were treated this year in Italy. Late at night on 6 April 2009, there occurred an earthquake of a magnitude of 6.3 recognized as the most destructive for 30 years. Among the worst affected town of L''aquila to the North-East of Rome: killed 309 people, thousands were left homeless. The catastrophe was preceded by the period of anomalous seismic activity, which prompted the Italian authorities call a meeting of leading scientists. The minutes of the meeting held a week before the tragedy, was not conducted, followed and official statements. But there was a press conference of the Ministry of civil defense and local authorities, where journalists and residents of L''aquila heard the following: "there is No danger, for there is a constant discharge of energy".

Everyman, shocked by the death of relatives and familiar angry at the government, founded the Association "309 of the martyrs," and sued. The Prosecutor's office supported the accusation, and in October 2012 seven people - scientists, heads of institutions, ministries - were found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to six years in prison, although the Prosecutor had asked for four, and also to pay compensation and the prohibition to hold certain posts. They say they believe at least 29 people, who was about to leave L''aquila, but remaining at home and in the result of the victims.

The decision raises questions already from the legal point of view, however, we are now interested in more. The above statement is scientifically incorrect: reset power means nothing. But the matter is not that the scientists made a wrong interpretation of the data. The fact that modern seismology principle is unable to predict the earthquake is neither the place nor the time, nor the magnitude. One can only talk about some of the probability that a given period of about a certain area as it will rock. But because the conscience is there, from such "forecasts" most scientists refrain: and so it is clear that in a seismic zone from time to time something happens, or rather impossible. For example, say that after Tohoku earthquake off the coast of Fukushima should prepare for powerful aftershocks. But when hit, nobody knows (by the way, it is worth mentioning that this is the Tohoku happened not there, where he was waiting for). Not for frogs to guess, right? Although the tides, they say, it is possible to do.

But the earthquake is so special case. The processes occurring in the depths of our own planet, not understood so that soon Geology can take a slightly different paradigm, supplementing the theory of plate tectonics (which, by the way, and other weaknesses) explanation of vertical movements in the mantle.

All that I can do geologists, seismologists and Volcanology, is first of all to surround the planet sensors and analyze, simulate, and to drill and drill.

But the average person on these considerations give a damn. One of our readers wrote: "Science must find a way to stop tectonics of plates". Should - and to the point!

III

The similar situation in climatology. More precisely, with the most "hot" theme - global warming.

Well, worry about earthquakes can understand. But what the layman to this purely scientific issues? What, strictly speaking, the difference is that the trend was noticed by European and American (first of all) scientists who Tinker with columns of figures coming from weather stations? You are concerned about their grants? You irritate them a call to reduce carbon dioxide emissions? Why don't you take that money and not you are asked to accept the program of development of alternative energy at the state level.

But the debate on abstract themes are the hottest. When the body is well, soul troubled. As there getting the American army? Have the dark matter? Why still not entered forced mating most genetically promising for the human species? What the hell you again slandered Christianity? Everyone wants to swell to the size of the Universe, and away from the Lord God of his zipper.

And again targeted in the question of global warming are becoming incomplete data, the difficulty of modeling and errors with forecasting. And again the average person does not want to see that climatology is only trying to organize observation (and watch it for a very long time - centuries, and even better for thousands of years) and learn how to model both past and future as accurately as possible (it is enough to remember, what a headache developers models deliver aerosols, and that we still do not know for sure how climate responds to carbon dioxide). However, observations constantly surprises like diradicals Criee, gaps remain in the representation of the heat exchange of the World ocean, new links, some of the processes is just as it should be measured and kartografirovanie. But most importantly, the climate is so complex that it is still difficult to understand and to explain even the most large-scale event in the history of the planet, i.e. the relatively sudden changes in average global temperature, leading to glacial periods, to the widespread heat.

One of the most interesting topics of the outgoing year is the link global warming with occasional, but too much of weather conditions. The efforts of several independent research groups built a complex model of interaction of different climatic subsystems, in which the main role is played by the Eurasian landmass (especially Siberia), jet flows in the atmosphere and exposed the Arctic.

Arguments in support of the hypothesis of global warming and its anthropogenic received in 2012 a lot. It is noticed that the next ice age somehow delayed. Proven sustainable growth of quantity of heat in the ocean, and the relationship of this phenomenon with the warming of the atmosphere. The US and Europe has experienced an unusually warm spring Northern hemisphere as a whole summer, Greenland melted more than usual. Arctic ice has set a bad record. Antarctica slightly increased the area of sea ice (because of the wind rose, apparently), and in the West of the continent registered alarmingly rapid warming. Too frequent extremes arouse reasonable suspicion. And in General draws attention to the fact that the old prognosis made on the basis of the same assumptions, which operates modern climatology, was scary how accurate. Not to be taken seriously and processes that are able in some degree to mask warming.

But to talk about conspiracy theories, of course, much more interesting. Tell me, who the conspiracy best? Alternative energy? Well, compare the budgets of the companies supplying the solar factory, with revenues oil and gas industry. Some politicians? But the US never ratified the Kyoto Protocol, and the new agreement, which implies a further reduction of emissions of greenhouse gases, is still not adopted. Moreover, the Kyoto Protocol, with all its importance, ridiculous and does not guarantee deterrence coming heat. Scientists who do not know where to take money for grants? This murderous argument implies complete brainless and grantees, and grantbydefault and comments does not need.

In fact, global warming is not beneficial to anyone. It implies that we must all stand up to the fifth point, stop stealing and consume, to change the attitude to the planet and to fully rebuild the entire infrastructure of our great and miserable civilization. Timid scientists from time to time remind that it is quite possible to do this (by the way, it is not necessary to dwell on carbon dioxide). Remind that the economically more profitable to fight warming, protect biodiversity and to prepare for the new resettlement of peoples now before it is too late.

IV

As we can see, despite the abundance of news is nothing revolutionary in the Earth Sciences was not the case: only specified methods of observation and analysis. This hard work layman invisible and incomprehensible.

Will tell you on the subject of a joke. In the 1970s the years of the great philosopher Merab Konstantinovich Mamardashvili, fired from "Questions of philosophy", was employed in the Institute of history of natural Sciences and technology. Two years later, he, as a respectable researcher, presented the authorities treatise "Arrow of knowledge", which has secured a place in the history of philosophy, after which it took leave "for the failure of the plan".

The rule is simple: the inhabitant are not interested in philosophy, nor science. He wants to sustain their internal state as if it is the state of the external world. And rural ladies and gentlemen, anyhow, that you might have at hand: politics, ideology, art, or science.

P. S. 2013 promises to be the hottest in recent history. Get ready.