Science Trumps Politics -- at Least in Theory

In this Q&A with Nina Fedoroff, science adviser to the US secretary of state, topics run from genetically modified food to the need for scientific advocacy in government. Fedoroff's take on GM food is simple: "There’s almost no food that isn’t genetically modified. Genetic modification is the basis of all evolution." As for science in government, Fedoroff makes the case that scientific alliances can succeed where other kinds of diplomacy fail -- "because science is more collaborative than other types of endeavors," she tells the New York Times. "It aspires to more democratic principles than many political systems because we have an external reference."