Science's One-Two Punch

Writing in the Los Angeles Times, Meryl Comer and Chris Mooney say those worried about mending the economy should consider investing in scientific research. "In a country where 65 percent of the citizens can't name a living scientist and another 18 percent try but get it wrong," Comer and Mooney say that it's a mistake not to ramp up funding for science. In discussing the economic reverberations of research achievements, the authors reflect on how Nobel laureate Robert Solow "documented that advances in technology and knowledge drove US economic growth in the first half of the 20^th century." Beyond creating jobs alone, scientific research can also "save society a fortune" in shared healthcare costs, the pair writes. At a time when Republicans seek to cut federal science budgets to pre-stimulus levels, Comer and Mooney say it's time for Americans "to honor our scientists. … We need to recognize that the cost of basic science, and the time it takes, require a sustained government commitment."

HT: Mike the Mad Biologist