Do you agree that it is "Astonishing that so little knowledge can give us so much power" (bertrand russell)? Discuss with reference to the natural sciences & one other area of knowledge.

Little knowledge could be defined as a limited or basic understanding of an area of knowledge or a simplified deliberation that may exist in isolation, one which has not yet received appropriate acknowledgement or application or consensus, thus, having a variable impact on its capability to influence the generation of power. It could mean a general understanding of mathematical concepts or limited knowledge regarding natural sciences like stem cells. This little knowledge can have an immense impact on our lives and are a channel through which we sometimes attain a lot of power. Power could mean a number of things. In natural sciences, it could mean the accuracy of the information and the ability to implement it. In mathematics, simple knowledge can help to achieve economic power or the ability to influence decisions.

Stem cells since years have been an area of intensive research. It is because of its properties to differentiate in copious quantities and to differentiate into new tissues. Human embryonic stem cells were discovered by biologist James Alexander Thompson in 1998 ("Stem Cells: A Historical Review about Biological, Religious, and Ethical Issues."). In 1998, a detailed analysis of the biology of mouse stem cells led to the development of a technique for the extraction of stem cells from human embryos. Human embryonic stem cells are the name given to these cells. The in vitro fertilization techniques utilized in these investigations were used to produce the embryos for use in reproduction. After they were no longer needed for that purpose, they were donated for research.

Stem cells are now extensively studied because the medical community believes that someday through stem cells, we can even grow a whole organ that a body requires. At present, due to stem cells, many important diseases are evidently cured. The knowledge about stem cells also allowed Professor Christine Mummery and her team to create beating heart cells ("Breakthroughs in Stem cell research"). Through stem cell research, a cure for one of the most common cancers in children, leukaemia, is being researched along with diseases like Stargardt's disease. Biologists have tried to use adult stem cells to cure leukaemia. \( 65\% \) survival rates for AML patients following stem cell transplantation have been reported by the National Marrow Donor Program (NMPD) and the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) ("Survival of Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia after Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation: An Experience in Developing Country.").

The knowledge of stem cells and its qualities comes through the knowledge of the reproduction of human life. The concept and the information about it are very little since we still need to acquire knowledge about very many inherent dimensions, for instance, to learn how they differentiate. With minimal acquired knowledge, though the one that seems to grow with time, humans have been able to achieve paradigm shifts signaling power, in a way and have opened an abundance of possibilities. This little knowledge we have about stem cells has allowed us to treat diseases and medical conditions. The treatment of diseases is the power we gain through acquiring knowledge that is stem cells.

Long before antibiotics were discovered, doctors would just wait and have hope for people affected by diseases like pneumonia and gonorrhoea. Hospitals would be flooded with people, and there was no cure for it. Sir Alexander Fleming made the first true antibacterial discovery with penicillin in 1928 ("Alexander Fleming Discovery and Development of Penicillin - Landmark."). Howard Florey, Ernst Chain, and their colleagues at Oxford University's Sir William Dunn School of Pathology developed penicillin from a laboratory discovery into a life-saving drug. Penicillin signaled the beginning of the era of antibiotics.

The development of penicillin throughout the first half of the 20th century had a big impact. In the United States, streptococcal septicemia was effectively treated for the first time in 1942. However, in the early days of penicillin, demand was high and supply was limited. Penicillin helped to reduce military fatalities and amputations during World War I.

Through penicillin, it is possible to cure a number of diseases like diarrhoea, pneumonia and other respiratory illness. Surgeries, maternity healthcare and intensive healthcare units use penicillin to a great extent. Penicillin, an antibiotic discovery, allowed us to only know about its ability to fight diseases. Still, through this, humans are now capable of producing new antibodies, healing, building resistance to diseases and whatnot.

A relatively small amount of knowledge has given us immense power. The discovery of antibiotics and the development of vaccines have revolutionized medicine, allowing us to effectively treat and prevent infectious diseases that once caused widespread death and suffering. In summary, a small amount of knowledge at a time that it began to be produced and disseminated, in biology has given us a great deal of power in terms of understanding and controlling living organisms and their interactions with the environment, which has led to significant advancements in medicine, agriculture, and biotechnology. We could thus, from these examples say that this knowledge may not seem little now but certainly was little when it was produced then, and with its minimal nature then, also provided power which grew in quantum with the little knowledge transforming into more with time.

Considering the AOK of Mathematics, the Fibonacci sequence is a simple concept of numbers. The Fibonacci sequence is a collection of integers (the Fibonacci numbers) that range from 0 to 1, then another 1, and then a string of numbers that rise in value continuously after that. Each number in the series is equal to the sum of the two numbers before it ("What is the Fibonacci sequence and how does it work?").

Although unrealistic, the rabbit sequence enables individuals to connect an ordinary, understandable concept to a highly developed sequence of complex numbers. The arrangement of seeds on flower heads contains the Fibonacci numbers. Fibonacci order can be seen inside many plant fruits. For example, most daisy or sunflower petals have 34 spirals spiraling inward and 55 spirals spiraling outward. The Fibonacci spirals are vividly visible in pine cones.

It was not until the 1600's that mathematicians realized its connection to the golden ratio. In mathematics, the irrational number (1 + Square root of 5)/2, frequently represented by the Greek letter is known as the golden ratio. It is the ratio of a line segment that has been divided into two portions of varying lengths, where the ratio of the entire segment to the longer segment equals the ratio of the longer segment to the shorter segment ("Golden ratio | Examples, Definition, & Facts | Britannica."). Fibonacci is used in the application of the golden ratio, a ratio that has been used even in cosmetic surgeries.

Recently, scientists working in a broad range of fields, such as high energy physics, quantum mechanics, cryptography, and coding, have become very interested in the Fibonacci sequence and the Golden Ratio. It has been discovered that the usage of Fibonacci numbers can encrypt communication. Similar uses of Fibonacci include cryptography ("what is fibonacci series | fibonacci series."). A concept as simple as Fibonacci numbers has allowed us to explore architecture, poetry, and other mathematical theories. Thus, 'simplicity' may be a defining factor to call something little, as is construed in this example, even though it may have a farfetched impact, culminating into harnessing power.

Today, almost everyone knows how to conduct basic simple sums. Addition, subtraction, multiplication and division are the second thing taught to us after numbers. A person might not know how to solve difficult theorems and calculations, but if they know how to add or subtract, they have access to ample knowledge and power. In everyday life, we carry out basic calculations for survival. In the past, people counted the amount of food. The units and methods of calculation have evolved through time, but their purpose and importance remain timeless.

With the knowledge of calculations, we understand how money works. Managing money, and learning about interests and loans is only possible if we know how to calculate. It is the most important skill and knowing how much to save and spend shapes our economic condition. No matter what field of career a person aspires to succeed in, arithmetic concepts are required, whether it is sports, where you need the ability to make correct estimations or medicine, where simple procedures are highly dependable on calculations.

In mathematics, thus, the knowledge that is as little as primary calculations or the Fibonacci sequence allows us to tap into the power that comes in the form of the ability to encode other mathematical concepts and to analyze the mathematical structure of many real-world phenomena. The basic concepts of mathematics, are little knowledge now because more prodigious concepts have emerged. Thus, perhaps past knowledge seems "little" to us.

In both areas of knowledge, we can say that little knowledge seemingly is a matter of time. Little knowledge may assign power however if power is sustained, probably will be determined in the way the "little" knowledge evolves into more. The outbreak of stem cells or penicillin can be deemed as little knowledge at first, perhaps because as we evolve, with time newer discoveries and knowledge have gained importance and so has the power dynamics.

1. Mehdizadeh, Mahshid, and Shahid Beheshti. "Survival of Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia after Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation: An Experience in Developing Country." NCBI, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9339122/. Accessed 27 January 2023.

2. Ballini, Andrea. "Stem Cells: A Historical Review about Biological, Religious, and Ethical Issues." NCBI, 29 April 2021, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8105090/. Accessed 27 January 2023.

3. "Breakthroughs in Stem cell research." YouTube, 10 August 2022, https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/research/breakthroughs-in-stem-ce. Accessed 27 January 2023.

4. "Alexander Fleming Discovery and Development of Penicillin - Landmark." American Chemical Society, https://www.acs.org/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/flemingpenicillin.html. Accessed 30 January 2023.

5. Sheldon, Robert. "What is the Fibonacci sequence and how does it work?" TechTarget, https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/Fibonacci-sequence. Accessed 30 January 2023.

6. Carlson, Stephan C. "Golden ratio | Examples, Definition, & Facts | Britannica." Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 January 2023, https://www.britannica.com/science/golden-ratio. Accessed 30 January 2023.

7. "what is fibonacci series | fibonacci series." Coding Hero, 23 January 2021, https://codinghero.ai/the-fibonacci-series-and-its-amazing-applications/. Accessed 30 January 2023.