Short answer: science rarely proves anything absolutely in the mathematical sense. Instead, it builds strong, testable, revisable knowledge from evidence. That is a strength, not a weakness.
In ordinary speech, people say that science has “proved” something when the evidence is overwhelming. That is understandable, but it can create confusion. Mathematical proof works from axioms and logic. Scientific knowledge works from observation, measurement, experiment, and inference. The natural world always leaves room for better instruments, new evidence, and more precise theories.
Why certainty is not the goal
The aim of science is not to make every belief untouchable. The aim is to make claims accountable to reality. A scientific claim should remain open to correction if better evidence appears. This is why scientific conclusions often use careful language: “the evidence suggests,” “the results support,” or “under these conditions.” That language is not weakness. It is intellectual honesty.
Some scientific conclusions are so well supported that treating them as doubtful in everyday life would be unreasonable. The Earth orbits the Sun. Germs can cause disease. DNA carries hereditary information. These claims are not casual opinions. They rest on large bodies of evidence gathered in many ways over long periods.
How science becomes reliable
Science gains reliability through convergence. Different experiments, instruments, fields, and researchers point in the same direction. A result becomes stronger when it survives criticism, replication, prediction, and practical use. The point is not that one paper proves everything. The point is that many independent lines of evidence can make a conclusion very hard to overturn.
So, can science prove anything absolutely? Usually no. Can science give us knowledge reliable enough to build aircraft, treat disease, predict eclipses, and detect errors in our own thinking? Yes. Scientific knowledge is powerful because it does not need to pretend to be perfect.