Catching the sun on San Juan Island, Washington, in 2016. Photo: Jonathan Foley

By Jonathan Foley
12 February 2017 (The Macroscope) – Make no mistake: There is a War on Science in America. The White House not only denies obvious, empirical facts on a regular basis, but they have invented the Orwellian concept of “alternative facts”. In the past, we simply called them “lies”, but now they are used in the world’s most powerful office. And that should scare all of us. What’s worse is that the White House and many members of Congress aren’t just anti-fact, they are against the pursuit of facts, and have tried to place draconian restrictions on what federal scientists can research, publish, and even discuss. And god knows what will happen to our nation’s long-standing investments in research and science education. This attack on science, and on knowledge itself, goes beyond anything we have seen in America before. And it is not only dangerous to science, it is dangerous to our nation and the world. But the War on Science has inspired a mighty backlash. Scientists are standing up against politicians. We’ve seen rogue Twitter accounts, hundreds of op-eds, and scientists announcing they are running for office. There will even be a March for Science on April 22. It’s a popular uprising, complete with heroes in white lab coats and park ranger uniforms. [more]

I’m a Scientist. This is What I’ll Fight For.