Act for science

Abstract

This year's American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS, the publisher of Science ) Annual Meeting in Boston (16 to 20 February) promises again to be one of the world's most recognized forums for communicating the excitement, beauty, power, and relevance of science. Attendees from dozens of countries, from nearly every field of study, and from all sectors will share ideas and build collaborations. Attendees share a cherished understanding that science practiced with diligence and reverence for evidence illuminates the human condition, leads to measurable progress, and provides the best insurance against error and deception. These amazing benefits depend on open communication as a fundamental ingredient of science. This is why President Trump's recent immigration ban has been a jolt across the global scientific enterprise.

Justice at risk! An evaluation of a pseudoscientific analysis of a witness’ nonverbal behavior in the courtroom

“…In addition to a fear to venture beyond the comfort of their research environment, to risk jeopardising their research funding and scientific credibility as well as their 'intellectual mission' and productivity (Holt, 2017;Nelson & Vucetich, 2009;Heleta, 2016), research scientists who challenge pseudoscience risk all sort of ad hominem attacks such as defamatory insults, hate mails, and even threats and lawsuits (Loftus, 2016;Mann, 2016;Denault, 2017).…”

Beyond Hat in Hand: Science Advocacy Is Foundational for Policy Decisions

“…We share our collective experience and expertise in the science of child and brain development and in the science of communications to stimulate more action in scienceinformed policy-making. The rationale for ramping up these activities has been well articulated in recent commentaries (Holt, 2017;Stokstad, 2017) and declarations (Kazatchkine et al, 2017) and by our colleagues (Shonkoff and Bales, 2011).…”