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Luc Soete, United Nations University
On Earth Day, Saturday April 22 2017, scientists will descend from their ivory towers in more than 500 cities across the globe to stage a huge March for Science.
The scientists are coming out en masse to champion “robustly funded and publicly communicated science as a pillar of human freedom and prosperity”.
The movement started early this year after Donald Trump’s science-and-technology-free inauguration speech and his controversial decisions to remove from the White House website all climate change related material, forbid researchers at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to speak to the press and introduce visa restrictions on citizens from a number of Muslim-majority countries.
In Europe, where I sit, silenced scientists is not really an issue.
The values of science – the search for the truth, and the need for openness and transparency in research – are broadly supported within the EU.
Apart from an expected emphasis on government under-funding of the sciences (particularly in Francophone Belgium), Europe’s marches are largely in solidarity with American colleagues.
How did we get here? As with so many grassroots actions, it all began with a tweet – not one of The Donald’s, this time, but a tweet from Caroline Weinberg, a New York-based science writer and public health researcher.
Paraphrasing a quote from The Mourning Bride, by British playwright William Congreve, Weinberg stated that “Hell hath no fury like a scientist silenced”.
Her message nicely expressed the frustrations of many climate researchers, in particular those at the EPA. For silenced, indeed, has the EPA been over these last months.
After Trump’s inauguration, posts ceased to appear on the agency’s blog. Then, two weeks ago, this missive went live. In it, the agency’s deputy director for Global Affairs and Policy, Marianne Bailey outlines her personal career development, from joining the US Peace Corps to leading negotiations of the Minamata Convention on the use of mercury.
Bailey purported to proud that “our newer staff members have put their intelligence and leadership qualities to work on today’s most pressing challenges”.
More recently, on April 18, Elle Chang, from the EPA’s Office of International and Tribal Affairs, took to the blog to explain “How one bus ride led me to public service” “
Nice personal stories, to be sure, but very little environmental content.
Faith in science has been undermined not just by politics but also by the increasingly competitive race for research funding.
The generalised use of rather simple, primarily quantitative indicators for measuring research performance, for example, poses a continual danger to our work. And perverse incentives are leading to strategic mistakes and, in the worst case, unethical behaviour.
The recently exposed sugar scam (in which industry-sponsored research distracted from the health hazards of sucrose for decades, blaming cholesterol instead) is one relevant example.
Scientists aren’t the only professionals whose field requires openness. But scientists – and, increasingly, journalists, too – are particularly beholden to transparency. If we are not honest about the methodology we follow and the data we use, how can we question received wisdom and, every now and then, put forward unwelcome critiques?
As Jean-Pierre Bourguignon, president of the European Research Council put it on the occasion of the organisation’s tenth anniversary in early April 2017:
This open attitude of refusing to build walls is not guaranteed…. It would therefore be inappropriate to give the impression that scientists have some kind of monopoly in the pursuit of truth or virtue. Actually…we scientists first bear a particular level of responsibility [to] support the pursuit of the scientific method at all levels, from primary school to the most prestigious labs and university departments.
Failure to do so will have profound risks. As scientists Marc A. Edwards and Siddhartha Roy have argued, if a “critical mass of scientists become untrustworthy”, we may reach a tipping point in which the scientific enterprise itself becomes inherently corrupt.
Thus far, in part because of international openness and transparency, that has not happened. Major crises in some disciplines aside, scientists have largely proven capable of self-regulating our activities.
Still, to my mind science and scientists in Europe have been unacceptably silent during crucial national and European debates.
Scientists were almost totally absent from the Brexit debate last year, for example.
They may have now a second chance, within an extremely narrow window of opportunity, to resurface the economic evidence on the long-term impact of the UK’s exit from the European Union.
It is critical to counter current short-term positive economic trends in the UK with the fact that to date the country remains part of the EU, benefiting in competitiveness terms from its currency’s downward adjustment following the Brexit referendum. This scenario is not comparable to a real post-Brexit economic reality.
It’s noteworthy, too, that the March for Science is taking place the day before the French presidential election. In its second round this contest may lead to a pivotal choice between National Front candidate Marine Le Pen and far-left candidate Jean Luc Mélenchon.
Both hold extreme and unrealistic positions on domestic growth and employment that, rather than solve France’s economic problems, may well plunge all Europe deep into crisis.
Interestingly, in my hometown of Maastricht, Netherlands, the initiative to join the March for Science originated not with university professors but with scientists and researchers from the private sector.
It was the multinational global science company DSM and the local campus of the health and sustainability research centre Brightlands that particularly helped garner interest in marching along with the US.
These places are less “ivory tower” than Greek “agora”: meeting places where scientists on the ground interact with their fellow citizens, traders, businesses – even politicians.
Perhaps, in Europe, we are marching on Saturday not because we’ve been silenced but because, for too long, we’ve locked ourselves away in our labs, cosseted by our universities, with research excellence assessed and guaranteed by peers.
Thanks to Donald Trump, scientists have woken up. Let’s hope it’s not too late.
Luc Soete, Professorial Fellow, United Nations University
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
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You don’t need to be a gourmet cook with legions of cookbooks to please your friends and family. So long as you have tried and true recipes for the basics — grilled chicken, deviled eggs, tomato sauce, chocolate chip cookies, and so on — you’ll be able to whip up a crowd-pleasing meal with ease.
1. Perfectly Grilled Chicken Breasts
This is my basic, go-to grilled chicken — perfect for a quick weeknight dinner or cookout — and so versatile. You can serve the fillets on their own (kids love them), topped with cheese on a toasted bun, chopped up in a quesadilla or sliced over a Greek or Caesar salad. They’re quick and easy: you do all of the prep ahead of time and you won’t dirty a single bowl. GET THE RECIPE
This classic deviled egg recipe promises a creamy, fluffy, lump-free filling without gobs of mayo. I like to dress the filled eggs with herbs, but feel free to add your own favorite toppings. GET THE RECIPE
These chocolate chunk cookies come out tender, puffy, and fudgy with perfectly crisp edges — guaranteed. GET THE RECIPE
4. Homemade Tomato Sauce with Basil
Jarred tomato sauce is fine in a pinch, but if you’ve got a little extra time, this homemade sauce is totally worth it. GET THE RECIPE
5. Roast Chicken with Herb Butter
Everyone needs a good basic roast chicken recipe in his or her repertoire. This one, inspired by Laurie David’s The Family Dinner cookbook, is one of my favorite family meals. GET THE RECIPE
Tangy and a touch sweet, this is a great all-purpose vinaigrette. The secret is a spoonful of Dijon mustard, which acts as an emulsifier and makes the dressing nice and thick. GET THE RECIPE
This dish involves layering thinly sliced potatoes with heavy cream and grated cheese, and then baking until the cream reduces and blankets the potatoes in a rich, creamy sauce. Definitely special occasion-worthy! GET THE RECIPE
This lasagna comes from Julia Turshen’s lovely cookbook, Small Victories: Recipes, Advice + Hundreds of Ideas for Home Cooking Triumphs (Chronicle Books, 2016). Not only is it the simplest lasagna I’ve ever made, it’s also the lightest and most elegant. GET THE RECIPE
French toast is easy to make on a busy weekday morning. This version cooks up slightly crisp on the exterior and creamy on the interior, and tastes almost like bread pudding. GET THE RECIPE
It’s difficult to replicate steakhouse burgers at home because most steakhouses use closely-guarded recipes and custom ground beef mixes, both of which are hard to find. But it can be done! The secret is to use readily available 85% lean ground beef, a panade — or mixture of bread and milk that keeps meat tender and juicy even when cooked to medium-well — and lots of seasoning. GET THE RECIPE
Most people buy Caesar salad dressing in a bottle, but homemade is easy to make and so much better. This rich and creamy version is the one my whole family loves. It’s not too garlicky and not too fishy — it’s just right. GET THE RECIPE
12. Best Ever Rice Krispies Treats
Thought classic Rice Krispies Treats couldn’t get any better? Wrong! A few simple tweaks to the original back-of-the-box recipe take them to a whole new level. GET THE RECIPE
13. Beef Stew with Carrots & Potatoes
In this classic French beef stew, chunks of beef are slowly braised with garlic and onions in a wine-based broth. After a few hours, the meat becomes meltingly tender and enveloped in a rich, deeply flavored sauce. With over 1,000 reviews, it’s my most popular recipe. GET THE RECIPE
This is my go-to banana bread recipe. It’s phenomenal right out of the oven, and delicious all over again when you toast it for breakfast the next day. GET THE RECIPE
This is the ultimate tomato soup and it’s incredibly easy to make. The only chopping involves some onions, garlic and basil — the rest comes out of cartons and jars (though you’d never know by tasting it). GET THE RECIPE
Bursting with fresh blueberries with a tender crumb and sparkling sugar crust, these really are the best blueberry muffins. GET THE RECIPE
If you’ve been searching for the perfect brownie recipe, look no further. I promise you, this is it! The recipe comes from Nick Malgieri’s Chocolate cookbook, an excellent resource for all things chocolate. GET THE RECIPE
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At least 140 Afghan soldiers were killed by Taliban attackers apparently disguised in military uniforms, officials said on Saturday, in what would be the deadliest attack ever on an Afghan military base.
One official in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, where the attack occurred, said on Saturday at least 140 soldiers were killed and many others wounded. Other officials said the toll was likely to be even higher.
They spoke on the condition of anonymity because the government has yet to release exact casualty figures.
The defense ministry said more than 100 soldiers were killed or wounded.
The attack starkly highlighted the struggle by the Afghan government and its international backers to defeat a Taliban insurgency that has gripped Afghanistan for more than a decade.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani visited the base on Saturday, and in a statement online, condemned the attack as “cowardly” and the work of “infidels”.
As many as 10 Taliban fighters, dressed in Afghan army uniforms and driving military vehicles, made their way into the base and opened fire on mostly unarmed soldiers eating and leaving a mosque after Friday prayers, according to officials.
They used rocket-propelled grenades and rifles, and several detonated suicide vests packed with explosive, officials said.
Witnesses described a scene of confusion as soldiers were uncertain who the attackers were.
“It was a chaotic scene and I didn’t know what to do,” said one army officer wounded in the attack. “There was gunfire and explosions everywhere.”
The base is the headquarters for the Afghan National Army’s 209th Corps, responsible for much of northern Afghanistan, including Kunduz, a province which has seen heavy fighting.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Saturday the attack on the base was retribution for recent killing of several senior Taliban leaders in northern Afghanistan.
On Saturday, the U.S. military command in Kabul said that an American air strike killed a Taliban commander, Quari Tayib, on April 17. Eight other Taliban were also killed the strike, according to a statement by the command.
Mujahid said the attack on the base killed as many as 500 soldiers, including senior commanders.
Four of the attackers were Taliban sympathizers who had infiltrated the army and served for some time, Mujahid said.
That has not been confirmed by the Afghan army.
The NATO-led military coalition deploys advisers to the base where the attack occurred to train and assist Afghan forces but coalition officials said no foreign troops were hurt or killed.
“The attack on the 209th Corps today shows the barbaric nature of the Taliban,” the commander of coalition forces, U.S. General John Nicholson, said in a statement on Friday.
German forces have long led the international mission in northern Afghanistan.
In Berlin, military officials said advising missions on the base will be on hold for one or two days while the Afghan army investigates, but that work would resume.
“The situation shows that we cannot stop supporting, training and advising our Afghan partners,” a German Operations Command spokesman said.
(Additional reporting by Sabine Siebold in Berlin; Writing by Josh Smith; Editing by Louise Ireland)
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President Donald Trump clearly doesn’t care much for science. He’s proposed to slash budgets for programs including the Environmental Protection Agency and NASA. He wants to cut $900 million to the Department of Energy’s Office of Science. He ordered the National Park Service to stop tweeting. He’s called climate change a “hoax” and doesn’t trust vaccines.
Saturday marks the 47th Earth Day, and thousands of scientists and non-scientists alike are marching in solidarity around the country and beyond to send a clear message to Trump: Science isn’t going anywhere.
Scientists organized the March for Science, and encouraged other “scientists, educators, and advocates, as well as social service workers, artists, trade workers, business people, our elderly population, and families to come together for science.”
Some of the biggest marches in the U.S. were taking place in New York City and Washington, D.C.
Tens of thousands of other people were also taking part in rallies, with 600 other marches happening around the world. Historians are calling the events “unprecedented in terms of the scale and breadth of the scientific community that’s involved,” Robert Proctor, a professor of the history of science at Stanford University, told The Washington Post.
“Hell has no fury like a scientist whose integrity is questioned,” Kathleen Rogers, president of the Earth Day Network, told NPR. Her nonprofit helped organize the march in response to the Trump administration. “These folks aren’t making hundreds of millions of dollars. They’re not billionaires. They’re working at government rates so to speak. They are giving their lives to their work and have one thing to hang on to — the truth and their integrity.”
“It’s not just lab people, but everyone from computer programmers to people working on cancer,” she added. “All these people, they’re not happy being called liars.”
Stay tuned for updates from the marches throughout the day.
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