Islam and Scientific Progress

[chemguy]

Dr. Israr Ahmed once said in his lecture that a doctor, and a shoe mender essentially do the same thing - They do it for livelihood. He said "One sutures a human being, while the other stitches shoes, but they both do it for earning".

If vocation is all that really matters, then why would a true Muslim take the pains of being an Engineer or a Scientist, or even bother to study? What incentive does Islam give to the people who work towards the progress of Science/Technology?

My second question:
Muslims have this tendency to bend science according to Islam. When science acknowledges something in religion as true Muslims jolly up, but when it is otherwise (Moderate intake of wine being beneficial, biological proof of homosexuality, overwhelming evidence of Evolution) science suddenly becomes wrong. Muslims brush off science that is not in line with Islam, even though the evidence may be otherwise. Their contention is that if Islam says so, this must be The Truth. Wouldn't science loose its purpose and objectivity this way?