The Undermining of Science in America
To the Editor:
Re 'America Is Losing Its Pull for Best Minds in Science' (front page, June 4):
There is another dimension by which the best minds are leaving science, particularly basic research.
For years, about half of the trainees and staff members in my biomedical research laboratory have been highly talented foreign nationals, with visas of different types. They have not taken jobs from U.S.-born scientists, whose applications have diminished. Losing my foreign lab members would markedly affect productivity on my grants from the National Institutes of Health.
Lost in the discussion is the shaken faith in careers in science by both U.S.-born and international researchers. The proposed cuts to the N.I.H. seem random, not the result of careful analysis and debate, and that is demoralizing. Many trainees now question the value of pursuing a career in science, where peer review to evaluate excellence and advancement is being replaced by adherence to political dogma.
Time has shown that basic science leads to the greatest impact on health care, as seen by applications of recombinant DNA technology, gene editing and mRNA vaccines. Those areas began by understanding the fundamental workings of bacteria and macromolecules in the cell.
The impact of politics in controlling the path of science and framing its output will impair U.S. productivity by undermining the spirit of today's trainees, whom we should instead be supporting to make the advances of tomorrow.
Ken ZaretPhiladelphiaThe writer is a professor at the University of Pennsylvania.
To the Editor:
Re 'The White House Gutted Science Funding. Now It Wants to 'Correct' Research' (news article, nytimes.com, June 3):
I am one of the scientists who signed the open letter against Donald Trump's executive order that would certainly destroy scientific independence. I would like to remind those in the MAGA world that even beyond scientific independence, the medicines they take, the implantable devices they wear, the medical advances that have extended their lives are all because of scientific research and because prior governments, Democratic and Republican, made a commitment that the United States will lead the world in science and technology.
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