When a sentence is in form of 'Can X do/solve/manage/become/etc ... Y?' it is both simply asking and challenging X at the same time.
Challenging science is absurd as is challenging the reality.
Challenging science is absurd as is challenging the reality.
It is challenging the idea that the president can outrun a cheetah, however. So, "Can science solve X?" is not the same as "Is science effective?".