A group of more than 1900 US researchers directly addressed the American public with a call to stop the ongoing attacks of the new administration on science, as this will lead to catastrophic consequences for the country, writes IFLscience. Scientists warn that such actions may not only harm research institutions but also endanger the health, safety, and well-being of society. The damage done to the US scientific community could stretch over decades, the authors of the letter note.
The document was signed by members of the National Academies of Sciences, research centers, and medical schools. As the authors of the appeal write, these organizations provide the government with fact-based recommendations, but the Trump administration has made it clear what position it holds on scientific issues. Therefore, the open letter is addressed to the general public.
«We hold various political beliefs, but as researchers, we are united in our desire to protect independent scientific research. We send this SOS signal to sound a clear warning: the country's science is in decline», — states the letter.
Among the main negative factors of the new policy — attempts to distort scientific facts, reduce funding for important research, and substitute science with politics.
«The administration's investigations into more than 50 universities are a terrible signal. Columbia University recently received notice that its federal funding would be cut off if it did not take disciplinary measures and shut down the academic department targeted by the administration. Destabilizing dozens of universities will endanger higher education — and the research conducted by these institutions», — states the open letter.
Scientists stated that an atmosphere of fear has descended on the scientific community. Researchers, fearing losing funding or jobs, are removing their names from publications, abandoning research, rewriting grant applications and documents to remove scientifically accurate terms (such as «climate change») that agencies mark as unacceptable.
As noted by the portal IFLscience, Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency has cut vital services in many institutions, such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, where meteorologists and computer engineers from the Hurricane Research Division were laid off, as well as those who worked at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, and so on.
US Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. canceled meetings on preparing the next winter flu vaccine and is spending money on attempts to prove the widely and thoroughly debunked link between vaccines and autism.
«We urge the administration to stop the massive assault on American science and call on the public to join this call. Share this statement with others, contact your representatives in Congress, and help your community understand what is at stake. The voice of science must not be silenced. We all benefit from science, and we all can lose if the national research movement is destroyed», — the scientists addressed the citizens of the USA.