I think that science consciously or unconsciously applies ontological principles. Because in science you look for causes for certain phenomena. If one were to completely reject (traditional) ontology, this search would make no sense. In this case, one could think that what is caused can arise without a cause, i.e. from nothing. If ontology (and classical logic) does not count at all, this is conceivable. Ontologically and logically, however, it makes no sense: Everything caused has a cause (or several), because otherwise it would be an ‘uncaused caused’, which is a logical self-contradiction; and that would be a contradiction to the principle ‘ex nihilo nihil fit’. When natural science investigates how lightning occurs, for example, it applies these principles. In other words, it assumes that there is a cause for what is caused (the lightning), otherwise the search for the cause would make no sense.