Poverty, disease, women's rights

The anti-science strain pervading the right wing in the United States is the last thing the country needs in a time of economic challenge. (Editorial)

The demands of global capital, mediated through the market, are increasingly driving the trajectory of advances in science. Today this acts as the principal barrier to the advance of science as a knowledge system that is designed to serve the needs of the people. The needs of a neo-liberal economic order valorises immediate gain as the principal driver of science.

Spending on science is one of the best ways to generate jobs and economic growth, say research advocates. But as Colin Macilwain reports, the evidence behind such claims is patchy.

Much of the problems associated with the application of technology can be traced to the absence of any social science input into the foundation or structuring of science research in our contemporary world. Civil society interventions are almost invariably seen as irritants to science, while Weberian experts are expected to understand the social impact of the adaptation of new technologies.

Conflicts of interest, situations where personal or organizational considerations have compromised or biased professional judgment and objectivity, can weaken scientific credibility, pose threats to biodiversity and ecosystem services, and are often precursors to corruption. Here, we review historical and international examples of conflicts of interest and their impacts on global biodiversity.

Nobel Laureate Richard Feynman believed that creative pursuit in science requires irreverence. Sadly, this spirit is missing from Indian science today. As other nations pursue more innovative approaches to solving problems, India must free itself from a traditional attitude that condemns irreverence, so that it too can address local and global challenges and nurture future leaders in science.

From the initial quest of our science to understand the Universe, have we strayed so far that we are destroying the very foundations of life and disrupting our life support systems?