Via Pharyngula. The Star Tribune has an inspired editorial about a couple of renowned biologists who are moving overseas. The headline and sub-headline are
Bush science policies hurt U.S.
Loss of top geneticists is latest toll from religious corruption
I think the phrase “Religious Corruption” hits the nail right on the head.
You can read more about it from PZ. I’ll just give you the last paragraph here,
The United States is accustomed to being the beneficiary of brain drains, but in the biological sciences that has now been reversed because of the unreasonable restrictions imposed on the use of embryonic stem cells for research. The irony in this is staggering: To prevent researchers from using surplus embryos from fertility clinics — already slated for destruction — opponents will forgo willingly the promise of cures for cancers and assorted other diseases that afflict millions of human beings. There are ethical considerations in this research, but they can easily be answered, if opponents were willing to engage in a dialogue. But they’re not; despite their self-identification as “prolife,” they’d rather see the stem cells in surplus embryos killed than kept alive and used in scientific research that might help heal people in the future.
December 2nd, 2005 at 12:40 am
I think I made this sort of comment before, obviously a big loss for US science, but from the science interest viepoint, spreading out and reducing dependence on a single political system may be the key for long term sustainability. Just a thought.
December 2nd, 2005 at 1:10 am
Moshe, I tend to agree that spreading science around is a good thing for humanity overall. However, that’s really only true if it’s because other countries have caught up to our high standards, not because we are creating an increasingly inhospitable environment.
December 2nd, 2005 at 1:15 am
Agreed, this was meant to be read as “every cloud has silver lining” comment, the cloud’s existence is not in question.
December 2nd, 2005 at 2:02 am
It’s also called ‘voting with your feet’. I have astronomy friends (NASA) who are considering moving to Australia because the Homeland Security environment has become too unbearable. All of the European scientists I know hate US travel for similar reasons and avoid it when they can. I know your focus is the ‘religious corruption’ but US science is hurt in other areas by the Bush administration policies as well.
December 2nd, 2005 at 4:59 am
stem cell a go-go though is happening in seoul with johns hopkins and harvard both building hospitals so they can do research in these fields. it’s funny that our colleges are starting to act like arms contrators building annexes outside of the u.s. so they can do what they want. anyway, regardless of what would have happened do to Bush the biological sciences are getting the push elsewhere (read singapore and south korea and china) while they’re getting shit upon in the u.s. with competition for researchers going up to new heights (the eu is doubling it’s science budget, china and japan are too etc.) it’s just fucking ridicilous to treat researchers or anyone in the knowledge base industries or academia this way.
December 2nd, 2005 at 10:05 am
>the eu is doubling it’s science budget
Er, in Italy wishing that were true, but it is not. In Italy, it is still decreasing, and the ‘Brain Drain’ is more true than ever. Research funding in Italy is under 1% GDP now (perhaps even 0.5%). Last week’s The Economist “Survey on Italy” can provide more background on the conditions :
http://www.economist.com/surveys/displaystory.cfm?story_id=5164061
December 3rd, 2005 at 2:10 pm
It might help to keep in mind that stem cell research is not banned in the U.S. Only federal funding of it.
For example, the state of California set aside $3 billion for it. The lion’s share of such research has moved to the private sector, mostly big pharmaceutical and biomed companies.
December 3rd, 2005 at 2:15 pm
That’s addressed in the piece, the California money is apparently frozen in litigation, so it is not just the federal administration that is doing the damage.
December 3rd, 2005 at 3:01 pm
If one removes the borders, of an idealization on which Perimeter was established, then I think boths sides of the border would benefit greatly?
But under the austerity program, of such leading institutions that would use islam, or the reverse of religiousness, in the American system, aren’t they doing the same thing by isolating people from the true roads of responsibilty we can have about the socialogical foundations of free and democratic societies?