New Scientist, the respected British science and technology magazine, has a special section this week on the scientific issues involved in the US presidential elections. The section, titled “Are You Listening, America”, provides a series of essays on current US policies and political trends regarding global warming, stem cell research, abortion policy and petroleum-dependency.
Besides these obvious issues, there are some very insightful essays on the effects of our post-9/11 fear of foreigners on the pursuit of science in the US. Whereas the US used to be first choice for foreign students interested in advanced scientific study, that is becoming less the case:
A recent survey by the Council of Graduate Schools of 113 American universities found a 32% plunge in foreign applications as top science students in many countries choose to stay home rather than go through the process of entering the US.
And concerns are emerging that foreign scientists will continue to be scrutinised even after they arrive. In April, a report prepared jointly by the Association of American Universities and the Council on Governmental Relations found that some government grants and research awards place restrictions on the involvement of foreign scientists. And last month, the Department of Homeland Security gave the FBI access to databases to track foreigners, including foreign scientists.
There are also essays on the effects of globalisation on scientific pursuits and on the global perception of hypocrisy in the US stance on nuclear non-proliferation in other countries, while developing new weapons here.
All in all, its a comprehensive and very informative look at the intersection of science and politics in the US. The one failing in the collection of articles is that, like so many other exercises in “fair” journalism, this article bends too far backwards in attempting to find some balance and ascribes unwarranted moderation to the acts of an administration that finds more certainty in the Bible’s predictions of the end times than it does in scientific explanations of global climate change.
