As a religious intellectual, I will state that I believe in Science's ability to be able to formulate the commonalities of our Universe into things that are not utterly random but systematic. Why? Because I believe in God the Father who has placed both natural and spiritual laws that govern this universe. As he is unchanging, these laws are also unchanging. It is under this belief that I inquire of both him, myself, and the Universe in order to understand those laws. Some of the greatest scientific minds, to whom we give credit for some of our modern knowledge to, held this belief. They knew that, by itself, Science can't solve all problems. However, where human inquiry can no longer surpass its limits, we can look toward God who knows the answer. Because he knows the answer, we can believe that there is one and thus can delve deeper into the depths of our minds and our known Universe to search for that answer.
This is to those who believe that Religion and Science don't fit together or that both are used for two different things. The ultimate basis for Science (and this is true) is that the Universe is governed by unchanging laws. This thought was brought about by the religious belief that God is unchanging. Even the ancient scientists of Greece and Rome had to believe in an unchanging God or force (either known as the Unknown God or Logos) in order for them to believe in universal laws. It isn't a stretch to say that true Scientists are religious.
Now to give my two scents on the topic of Humanity. It would be best to ask the question of Life. It is of my belief that to live is to struggle. Every living thing on this Earth struggles for something, the most basic reason is to survive. However, what seperates us from the animals is that we can overlook our need to survive in order to care for things that are greater than ourselves. Thus, our Humanity lies in our selfless compassion for our fellow man and, ultimately, our fellow creature. It is true that animals have shown signs of compassion towards creatures that aren't of their kind, but this is a rare occurence. However, we are made to have immense compassion that, if we were willing, can outnumber that of our selfish actions and desires.