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Young scientists told to adopt `holistic way' to science

By Our Staff Reporter

Bangalore Dec. 7. The Union Minister for Science and Technology, Human Resource Development and Ocean Development, Murli Manohar Joshi, urged "young minds" to do "holistic science" at an international congress of biologists here on Sunday.

After inaugurating the 10th Congress of the Federation of Asian & Oceanic Biochemists and Molecular Biologists (FAOBMB), Dr. Joshi said the Cartesian reductive approach to science would "only lead to frustration."

Young scientists, he said, should adopt a "holistic way of doing science."

In the larger context of a civilisation, a dialogue between different peoples, necessary to deal with many of today's ills, would similarly fail if a "fragmented view" were taken. In the pursuit of science too, scientists should break down barriers between disciplines and take an interest in what was happening beyond the walls of their own laboratories. He was now "approaching universities in the country to offer inter-disciplinary courses and modules," he said.

M.R.S. Rao, President, Society of Biological Chemists, India, said this was the second congress being held in Bangalore since the formation of the federation by the Societies of Biological Sciences in India, Australia and Japan in 1972. The last time the congress was held in Bangalore was in 1980, he said.

Qi-Shui Lin, President of the federation said the federation had members from 20 countries in Asia and Asia-Pacific region. The four-day congress will have scientists from leading research and academic organisations from these countries making presentations on their areas of research.

Manju Sharma, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology, and Goverdhan Mehta, Director, Indian Institute of Science, spoke. The Department of Biotechnology is the main sponsor of the congress, according to Ms. Sharma.

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