By attacking science, Donald Trump risks making the United States lose its place as a leading nation in scientific research, with repercussions around the world, warn the Nobel Prize officials. This, while the American president desires the Nobel Peace Prize. However, the chances of him receiving it are slim, experts believe.
Since taking office, the American president has cut millions of dollars from public funding, attacked the academic freedom of universities, and overseen mass layoffs of scientists from federal agencies.
During the Nobel science awards ceremony, which will take place in Stockholm starting Monday, American researchers might still fare well: the United States has more laureates in the field of sciences than any other country, thanks to long-term investments in fundamental research and academic freedom, reports AFP, quoted by News.ro. But this could change.
“After the Second World War, the United States took over Germany’s place as the world’s leading scientific nation. Today, by reducing research funding, this position is threatened,” says Hans Ellegren, the general secretary of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which awards the Nobel Prizes for physics, chemistry, and economics.
Since January, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the agencies overseeing medical research in the United States, have eliminated 2,100 research grants worth a total of about 9.5 billion dollars, as well as 2.6 billion in contracts, according to the independent database Grant Watch.
Among the targeted projects are studies on the effects of global warming on health, Alzheimer’s disease, and cancer. Vaccination is also in Donald Trump’s sights.
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