Researchers, activists and concerned citizens plan to march on Washington, D.C., for science.
Rigorous science is nonpartisan — but that doesn't stop gridlock between the scientific and political communities. Just look at the climate debate.
Now, march organizers are worried about how quickly anti-science sentiment is starting to resemble anti-science policy. They're marching to hold policymakers accountable for how they treat research and for their repressive stances on science itself.
"An American government that ignores science to pursue ideological agendas endangers the world," they write on their website.
Anthony Barnosky — a biology professor at University of California, Berkeley — told The Guardian when leadership suppresses facts and communication, it can undermine democracy.
"The data are the data, and the public has a right to know," Barnosky said.
So don't expect just lab coats at this march — though, there will probably be plenty. Scientists, nonscientists and everyone else has a stake.
An announcement of the official march date is expected Jan. 30.
