芬斯特（Fenster B）在《人类的愚蠢历史》（吴念和王承君译）中有一节《愚蠢的科学》，其中有两个例子令人影响深刻。

1、1939年滴滴涕(DDT)被生产出来后，它的发明者因开发了一种使农民免受蚊子和庄稼害虫侵扰的灭虫剂而获得诺贝尔奖。

诺贝尔奖委员会与那个没有去研究滴滴涕的长期影响的发明家同样短视。或许他们是打算要全世界来作为他们的长期研究对象。他们在为数甚多的病痛及死亡案例之后才认识到滴滴涕所带来的问题比害虫更严重。

更详细的信息如下：

1939年瑞士化学家Paul Muller（米勒）发明剧毒有机氯杀虫剂DDT（二氯二苯三氯乙烷），作为一种有效的昆虫神经性毒剂或杀虫剂来对家畜和谷物喷施DDT，因此Paul Muller（米勒）获得1948 年的诺贝尔医学奖授予发明DDT的瑞士化学家。其后在1962年，美国海洋生物学家Rachel Carson在其发表著作《寂静的春天》中怀疑DDT会进入食物链，最终会在动物体内富集，例如在游隼、秃头鹰和鱼鹰这些鸟类中富集。由于氯化烃会干扰鸟类钙的代谢，致使其生殖功能紊乱，使蛋壳变薄，结果使一些食肉和食鱼的鸟类接近灭绝。一些昆虫也会对DDT逐渐产生抗药性。此外，DDT会通过食物链进入人的体内积累，影响人体的健康。所以1963年美国科学家建议短期内禁止使用。

2、检验和评价萨立多胺的科学家们认定，它是一种如此有效的安眠药片，可以不需要处方直接在药店里出售。

不知何故，研制这种神奇药物的科学家们却忽略了它的副作用。孕妇服用萨立多胺后，它引起可怕的先天畸形，包括婴儿出生时没有手臂，以及从肩膀上长出像蹼状的手。在这种药被禁用之前，大约8000名患有这些先天畸形的婴儿出生。

近年来，萨立多胺作用的机理已经阐明，详细见BBC报道：

Thalidomide effect mystery solved

Scientists have discovered the primary mechanism by which thalidomide causes malformed limbs in developing embryos.

This side-effect was recognised after thousands of affected children were born to mothers who had been prescribed the drug for morning sickness.

Research in the journal Science reveals that thalidomide binds to and renders inactive the protein cereblon, which is very important in limb formation.

This finding could help the development of safer thalidomide-like drugs.

'Unknown mechanism'

Thalidomide can be effective in the treatment of certain cancers and leprosy, but the fact that it causes birth defects means that for women its use remains risky and controversial.

Medical researchers would therefore like to develop drugs that mimic the action of thalidomide, but do not affect limb development.

The research team, led by Takumi Ito from the Tokyo Institute of Technology in Japan, managed to isolate the negative effects of this "potentially useful" drug.

They set out to discover which target molecules thalidomide bound to in the body. They did this using tiny beads that extracted each individual molecule the drug bound to.

The scientists confirmed their conclusion by using genetic techniques to reduce the production of the cereblon protein in developing zebrafish and chick embryos.

The embryos with reduced cereblon had similar developmental defects to those that were treated with thalidomide.

"We [have shown] that cereblon... is a primary target of thalidomide teratogenicity" (or its ability to cause birth defects), the researchers wrote in their Science article.

Dr Ito told BBC News: "Although the mechanism for the teratogenic effect was made clear, the mechanism for its therapeutic effects remains unknown.

"[If we want to develop] a new drug devoid of teratogenic activity, it is important to understand [this] mechanism... this is what we are heading for."

 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8562998.stm

联想到近年来愈演愈烈的有害食品添加剂事件，大多属于“愚蠢的科学”。但细想，是科学愚蠢吗？除去少数动机不纯甚至邪恶的所谓“科学”外，大多属于社会产品的商业化和人类贪婪成性有关的问题，当然也和人类短视有关，非关“科学是否愚蠢”什么事，或者说科学本身不愚蠢，是人类本性中的缺点所致。