The general concept of eco-anxiety involves negative affective experiences due to climate change and other anthropogenic influences on the environment. The increasing severity of climate change has resulted in a rise in eco-anxiety. This collection of papers includes topics aiming to develop a clear conceptual understanding of eco-anxiety, how individuals respond to climate change, potential therapeutic interventions, as well as its neurobiological associations. The novel experimental findings, timely reviews, and unique perspectives will provide important contributions to address this new and expanding psychological problem. The virtual issue is edited by Elizabeth Marks (University of Bath).
Blog Archives
Digital Media and Public Health
This virtual issue, edited by Thomas Krendl Gilbert PhD (Hortus AI), frames the development of societal-scale digital platforms in terms of interlinked public health problems. Today’s digital technologies seem to exacerbate problematic social conditions, necessitating methods to measure, evaluate, and improve population well-being. More information can be found at https://www.nyas.org/ideas-insights/annals/digital-platforms-and-public-health.
The Urgent Need for Attention Sanctuaries
The commodification of our attention in digital realms has been the focus of news reports, academic research, and even the hit Netflix series “Adolescence.” Researchers and activists are increasingly calling for spaces where we can escape the daily deluge of screen-based content.
Published April 11, 2025
By Brooke Elliott
More than nine states have implemented rules about cell phone use in schools, and with good reason. Smartphones and digital platforms have become ubiquitous in our daily lives over the past several years. However, we are now beginning to observe some of the unforeseen effects this digital technology has on our wellbeing, particularly for young people.
As digital platforms continue to dominate our lives, the exploitation of human attention is changing how we engage with the world around us. With increased device usage correlating with mental health issues, there’s a growing movement that seeks to address and mitigate these challenges.
“Attention Sanctuaries: Social Practice Guidelines and Emergent Strategies in Attention Activism,” by D. Graham Burnett of Princeton University and Eve Mitchell of the Strother School of Radical Attention was published last month in Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. The article explores the concept of “attention activism,” a force promising to save human attention from the impact of what some are calling “human fracking” and reclaim spaces for human flourishing.
What is Human Fracking?
“Human fracking” refers to deep exploitation of human attention by digital platforms such as social media, video streaming services, and other screen-based environments. Like the process of hydraulic fracturing (fracking), which extracts valuable resources from the earth often at the cost of long-term environmental damage, human fracking involves the extraction of individuals’ mental and emotional resources, ultimately harming users, depleting their cognitive and emotional well-being while enriching corporations that profit from this exploitation.
The Emergence of Attention Activism
The concept of “attention activism” has gained traction as a movement against the misuse of human attention. It is driven by a coalition of researchers, advocates, and organizations dedicated to raising awareness about the societal and psychological consequences of the attention economy. Rather than framing these issues as problems of individual self-management, attention activism shifts the focus to empowered collective action. The goal is to build solidarity and organize resistance to the forces that seek to capture and monetize human attention.
“By explicitly and collaboratively engaging in conversation about attentional practices and commitments, and by achieving and promulgating shared norms for shared time and copresence, we can radically reshape what happens when we gather – and in doing so meaningfully mitigate some of the most prominent problems associated with the pervasively disruptive use of networked devices,” the authors write.
Attention Sanctuaries: Protecting Spaces for Flourishing
One of the central concepts emerging from attention activism is the idea of the “attention sanctuary”: a space that promotes the protection and cultivation of human attention, free from the disruptive effects of the attention economy. Examples of attention sanctuaries include libraries, churches, museums, and classrooms—places where individuals can focus, reflect, and engage in meaningful activities without the constant pull of digital distractions. As the authors write, “A true attention sanctuary cannot be imposed, it has to be created and maintained.”
The work of attention activists is to preserve and protect these sanctuaries, ensuring that they remain safe spaces where human attention can thrive. As society faces the disruptive effects of surveillance capitalism, data harvesting, and addictive screen-based environments, the importance of such sanctuaries has never been clearer.
Building a Culture of Collective Action
Attention activism is not just about resisting individual harm, it is also about creating a cultural shift toward collective responsibility. By reframing the problems of the attention economy, activists emphasize the importance of solidarity over individual self-regulation. This shift could result in actionable interventions that influence norms in social spaces such as schools, homes, and workplaces.
Ultimately, attention activism is about more than just digital detox. It is about fostering environments where human flourishing can take place. By promoting the creation and cultivation of attention sanctuaries, attention activists are laying the groundwork for a future where human well-being is prioritized over profit, and where collective action can lead to meaningful societal change.
“While, broadly speaking, we support the targeted and responsible application of such policies (together with digital detox rubrics for youth and adults alike), we believe that the participatory process of actively creating attention sanctuary guidelines presents a valuable component of any comprehensive strategy for addressing the public health dimensions of societal-scale digital platforms,” the authors write in their conclusion. “Such an approach is constructive, rather than privative, and promotes reflection, education, and solidarity. These are the central virtues of an attention-activist approach to the challenges of our rapidly shifting media ecosystem”
Full access to the Annals archive (which dates back to 1824) is one perk of being an Academy member. Not a member? Sign up today!
Academy’s Past – A New Name for a New Era
The Lyceum of Natural History in the City of New York was renamed The New York Academy of Sciences (the Academy) in 1876 to better encapsulate the work and mission of the organization during this era of broad scientific discovery.
Published April 8, 2025
By Nick Fetty
Mott Memorial Hall | 64 Madison Avenue | 1867-1878
The Lyceum of Natural History in the City of New York (the Lyceum), and its library, moved into Mott Memorial Hall at 64 Madison Avenue in 1867.
During this time, visions of what would become the American Museum of Natural History developed by Lyceum members and associates and other prominent members of the city, including American financier and investment banker J. P. Morgan as well as Theodore Roosevelt, Sr., the father of the future American president. The loss of the Lyceum’s priceless collection in the fire of 1866 added significant impetus for establishing a world-class history museum within the city.
As multiple stakeholders for the natural history museum competed for its design and scope, Lyceum members could refocus their efforts, such as “with keeping the organization intact.” In relatively short order, the museum organizers planned for the new institution to be located adjacent to and on the west side of the newly constructed Central Park, in addition to an art museum on the east side of the park (which would become the Metropolitan Museum of Art), a botanical garden, observatory, and zoo.
An Era of Broad Scientific Discovery
It was in 1876 that the institution’s name was changed from “The Lyceum of Natural History in the City of New York” to “The New York Academy of Sciences” (the Academy). Leading members felt that the term “sciences” better encapsulated the work and mission of the organization during this era of broad scientific discovery beyond natural history. This same year, the Academy voted to allow women to attend meetings and become members, keeping with its founding, egalitarian principles (though much later than by today’s expectations).
Historical records provide relatively little information about Mott Memorial Hall, though it was used by both The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society and the New York State Medical Association. According to the 1886 history account written by Lyceum Recording Secretary Herman Le Roy Fairchild, after ten years in Mott Memorial Hall, the Academy shared space in the New York Academy of Medicine’s West 31st Street facility and then moved to Columbia College’s Hamilton Hall.
A centennial history, penned by John Hendley Barnhart from the New York Botanical Garden and published in The Scientific Monthly in 1917, adds that the Academy also briefly utilized space in Columbia’s old library building, Columbia’s Schermerhorn Hall, in Cooper Union, at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers’ facility on West 31st Street, and in the Chemist Club’s assembly room on West 55th Street. In 1906, the Academy moved to the American Museum of Natural History, where it found a home for the next 44 years.
This is the seventh piece in an eleven-part series exploring the Academy’s past homes. Read:
- Where It All Began (Part 1)
- A Budding Institution (Part 2)
- The Need for More Space (Part 3)
- A Home to Ourselves (Part 4)
- A Generous Gift and a New Home (Part 5)
- Fire Leads to Academy Setback (Part 6)
- An Era of “Unprecedented Prosperity” (Part 8)
- Moving on Up(town) (Part 9)
- A Return Downtown (Part 10)
- Right Up There on Broadway (Part 11)
2025 Ross Prize Symposium: Protein Misfolding and Aggregation in Disease
The Ross Prize in Molecular Medicine was established in conjunction with the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research and Molecular Medicine to recognize biomedical scientists whose discoveries have transformed how medicine is practiced.
The awardees are mid-career researchers who have significantly impacted the understanding of human disease pathogenesis and/or treatment. Moreover, it is anticipated that they will continue to make profound advances in the general field of molecular medicine.
The 2025 Ross Prize in Molecular Medicine will be awarded to Dr. Jeffrey W. Kelly, PhD for his contributions to the science of protein misfolding and aggregation in disease. His pioneering research has illuminated how proteins fold, misfold and clump in toxic quantities in the body, leading to progressive damage in the nervous and cardiovascular systems.
Dr. Kelly has translated basic understanding of protein folding to create therapeutics designed to prevent disease-causing protein aggregation, including the discovery of the first-in-class small molecule drug called tafamidis.. The Kelly lab is currently developing novel therapeutic strategies for degenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, and for loss-of-function diseases such as lysosomal storage diseases.
Join us in celebrating Dr. Kelly’s innovative, award-winning research on June 4th. The symposium will include an exciting presentation from Dr. Kelly on the integral facets of his work, other exciting lectures, and in-person networking opportunities. Register today to participate in this incredible celebration of scientific innovation.
Sponsors
This symposium is made possible by the generosity of Jack and Robin Ross with support from:
The UK’s Brightest Young Scientists Shine in London at the 2025 Blavatnik Awards
Three remarkable Laureates and six Finalists were recognized for their groundbreaking scientific discoveries during a gala at The Orangery, Kensington Palace, in London
Published April 3, 2025
By Kamala Murthy
Each year, the Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists in the United Kingdom celebrate the brightest young scientific minds across the UK. In 2025, three remarkable Laureates and six Finalists were recognized for their groundbreaking contributions to Life Sciences, Chemical Sciences, and Physical Sciences & Engineering. Their achievements were celebrated at a black-tie gala on March 4, 2025, at The Orangery, Kensington Palace, in London.
Honoring Scientific Excellence
The awards, established by the Blavatnik Family Foundation and The New York Academy of Sciences, are the largest unrestricted prizes for UK scientists under 42. This year’s Laureates, each receiving £100,000 ($130,000) in funding, were selected from a distinguished group of nine finalists. Six Finalists each received £30,000 ($38,800). These visionary scientists are tackling some of the world’s most urgent challenges, from infant mortality to sustainable manufacturing and climate change prediction.
A Night of Celebration and Inspiration
The prestigious gala, hosted by Sir Leonard and Lady Emily Blavatnik, was attended by luminaries in research, academia, business, and the arts. Opening the ceremony, Prof. Shitij Kapur, Vice-Chancellor and President of King’s College London, reminded the honorees of their power to change the world, “As pioneers in your fields – your voices count.” Citing Bishop Desmond Tutu’s words: “‘you can change the world.’”
Nicholas B. Dirks, President and CEO of The New York Academy of Sciences, reflected on the impact of the awards: “Over these 18 years, the Blavatnik Awards have recognized 540 scientists from 120 research institutions [across the US, UK and Israel] a testament to the program’s growing international reach.”
The Legacy of the Blavatnik Awards
Since their inception, the Blavatnik Awards have provided more than £3.1 million (US$4 million) to UK research, supporting over 70 scientists from more than 100 institutions. With honorees founding over 50 companies – six of which are now publicly traded – the impact of the awards extends far beyond academia, influencing industries and economies worldwide.
Meet the 2025 Laureates
Life Sciences: Christopher Stewart, PhD (Newcastle University)
Prof. Stewart’s research is revolutionizing neonatal care with microbiome-based therapies to combat preterm infant mortality. His work sheds light on the critical role of human breast milk in shaping the gut microbiome of premature babies, leading to groundbreaking advancements in infant health worldwide.
Chemical Sciences: Liam T. Ball, PhD (University of Nottingham)
Prof. Ball is transforming chemical synthesis by developing safer, greener pharmaceutical and agrochemical production methods. His innovative use of bismuth has paved the way for more sustainable industrial manufacturing, reducing environmental impact while enhancing efficiency.
Physical Sciences & Engineering: Benjamin J.W. Mills, PhD (University of Leeds)
Prof. Mills is pioneering Earth Evolution Modeling, enabling scientists to simulate climate changes over billions of years. His work not only deepens our understanding of Earth’s past but also informs the search for habitable exoplanets, advancing both climate science and space exploration.
Meet the 2025 Finalists
Nicholas R. Casewell, PhD (Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine) – A toxinologist studying snake venom to develop better treatments for snakebite, a neglected tropical disease.
Brianna R. Heazlewood, PhD (University of Liverpool) – A physical chemist designing tools to study extreme-temperature chemical reactions, shedding light on space chemistry.
Hannah Price, PhD (University of Birmingham) – A theoretical physicist exploring extra dimensions through innovative experiments, deepening our understanding of higher-dimensional physics.
Filip Rindler, DPhil (The University of Warwick) – A mathematician creating new theories on how metals deform at a microscopic level, impacting materials science.
Andrew M. Saxe, PhD (UCL) – A neuroscientist using math to uncover how artificial and biological systems learn, advancing AI and memory disorder research.
Chunxiao Song, PhD (University of Oxford) – A chemical biologist developing advanced sequencing methods to detect DNA and RNA changes, aiding early cancer detection.
Looking to the Future
The day after the ceremony, the 2025 Laureates and Finalists presented their research to the public at the Blavatnik Science Symposium “Imagining the Impossible: UK Scientists Changing Our World,” held at the Royal Society of Medicine. This event offered science enthusiasts of all ages an opportunity to engage with these pioneering researchers and learn how their work is shaping the future.
The Blavatnik Awards continue to empower young scientists, fostering discoveries that redefine our understanding of the world and beyond. Stay connected and follow their journey at www.blavatnikawards.org.
The nomination window for the 2026 Blavatnik Awards UK opens on April 2 – May 28, 2025
One of Early America’s Engineering Marvels
One of the Academy’s earliest Honorary Members had an immense impact on transportation and economics in the United States during the 19th century.
Published March 26, 2025
By Nick Fetty
DeWitt Clinton, one of The New York Academy of Sciences’ earliest Honorary Members, had a significant political, economic and social impact on New York City and state, though his contributions reverberated across the country.
Clinton was born in Ulster County, New York in 1769 to a father who served as a general during the Revolutionary War. He attended King’s College (now Columbia University) and upon graduation pursued a brief career in law. He eventually shifted his focus to politics.
Practicing Politics
Despite his first two political campaigns ending in defeat, Clinton persisted and was eventually elected to a seat in the New York State Assembly, the lower chamber in the state’s bicameral legislature. He moved up to the New York State Senate (the upper chamber) before being elected to the U.S. Senate, though this appointment was short-lived because months later he was elected mayor of New York City.
Clinton spent nearly 10 years as the city’s chief executive. During his tenure he advanced for public education and established various public-welfare institutions. He then rose to the governor’s office, serving as the state’s top executive for nearly another 10 years before his death in 1828.
Clinton’s political ambitions were strong but his attempt at reaching the highest office in the land, the presidency, fell short. Running on the “Fusion” party ticket, Clinton was defeated by James Madison 128 electoral votes to 89 electoral votes in the 1812 election. Much of Clinton’s support came from antiwar states in the North.
His Lasting Legacy
Perhaps the most impactful part of Clinton’s legacy was the role he played in the development of the Erie Canal. When construction on the canal began in 1817, the United States was relatively young. The transcontinental railroad had not yet been completed and much of the Midwest was considered the frontier.
The 363-mile canal route traversed from the New York Harbor up the Hudson River to Albany and then west to Buffalo. From there, ships could navigate through the Great Lakes, using a series of locks and dams, eventually reaching Chicago at the westernmost terminus. The canal was completed in 1825.
The Erie Canal was considered an engineering marvel and had an immeasurable economic impact on the burgeoning United States. It enabled development of the sparsely populated states in the Midwest and allowed crops and natural resources from the heartland to be transported faster and more efficiently than over land.
Much of the land was cleared with a combination of manpower, beasts of burden, and gun powder. The original canal was roughly four feet deep and 40 feet wide. Today, tourism is the main source of boat traffic along the canal.
An Appreciation for the Arts and Sciences
In addition to his involvement with the Erie Canal project, Clinton was also known for having a deep appreciation for the arts, sciences, and other educational matters. He led efforts to combat the spread of yellow fever and supported organizations like the Free School Society (which later became the city’s public school system), the American Academy of Fine Arts, the New-York Historical Society, and the Literary and Philosophical Society.
During his lifetime he “published many articles that were well received.” He was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1816 and was named an Honorary Member of The New York Academy of Sciences in the early 19th century.
Also read: A Pioneer in Pap Smears and Cancer Research
This is part of a series of articles featuring past Academy members across all eras.
A Pioneer in Pap Smears and Cancer Research
During her more than half century career, May Chinn, MD, MPH, advanced access to medical care for low-income residents in Harlem, with many of her contributions directly impacting healthcare for women and other disenfranchised populations.
Published March 19, 2025
By Brooke Elliott
May Edward Chinn was the first woman to graduate from the Bellevue Hospital Medical College, the first African American woman to intern at the Harlem Hospital, and the first woman of any race to ride with an ambulance crew. A trailblazer in cancer research and a member of The New York Academy of Sciences (the Academy), she also helped to develop the pap smear test to detect cervical cancer in women. Much of her success can be attributed to her upbringing and her tenacity at a time when women in general and particularly of color weren’t always afforded the opportunity for a career in STEM
From Daughter of a Slave to Suffragette
Born in 1896 in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, she moved to New York City at three years old. Her father, William Lafayette Chin, was a former slave who escaped from the Chinn plantation in Virginia in 1864 at eleven years old. May’s mother, Lulu Ann, was half African American and half Native American, and was raised on a Chickahominy reservation. When she was sixteen, she met the forty-year-old Chinn, and soon after the pair was married, they had their only child, May.
Lulu’s hard work and resilience afforded May many educational opportunities. After contracting osteomyelitis in her lower right jaw, May left boarding school and lived on the estate of Charles Tiffany on the upper east side, where her mother was a live-in cook. The Tiffany family, the namesake for the prominent jewelry company, took her to Broadway shows on Sundays and inspired her with a lifelong appreciation for music.
When Charles died in 1902, the family left the estate and moved around the city for the next decade. Despite the lack of stability, Lulu always sought to make educational opportunities available to her daughter. Though May never received her high school diploma, a friend convinced her to take the entrance examination for the Teacher’s College at Columbia. Her outstanding score granted her admission as a full-time student. When William refused to pay her tuition, it was revealed that Lulu had started a savings fund. The family moved to Harlem so she could walk to her classes.
It was at this time that May joined the growing suffragette movement, marching in parades and advocating for the Nineteenth Amendment. Once certified in 1920, this granted women the right to vote.
The Harlem Renaissance
As a student at Columbia, May encountered many of the faces of the Harlem Renaissance. From Langston Hughes to Zora Neale Hurston, she was surrounded by prominent creatives, who often advocated for civil rights for African Americans. A musician herself, she often played the piano accompaniment to Paul Robeson, the esteemed musician and All-American football player from Rutgers.
Music was her first love, but her dreams of being a concert pianist were shattered when a professor at Columbia told her a Black woman could not be a serious musician. May changed her major to science, inspired by her childhood illness and the doctors who saved her life. At the time of her decision, only 65 Black women in the country were doctors.
May was the first African American woman to graduate from the Bellevue Hospital Medical College with a medical degree, earning her the title of “Doctor.” Despite these accomplishments, the primarily white, male doctors made her race and her gender an obstacle at every turn.
Rockefeller Institute retracted a job offer after learning her race, but she soon found an internship at Harlem Hospital, where she was again the first Black woman to hold the position. There, she became “the first woman ever to ride the ambulance that raced out on emergency calls.”
Operating on Kitchen Tables
In 1928, Dr. Chinn opened her own practice at the Edgecombe Sanatorium. The male doctors of Harlem were soon taking advantage of her commitment to the Hippocratic Oath, sending their own families to receive her medical care while actively taking away paying clients. With time, though, word of her excellence spread.
She found private patients among the white people she had previously attended at Harlem Hospital. Harlem was also home to a colony of Mohawk American Indians. The women of the tribe went to May to mix their tribal remedies with her modern medicine.
She attended everyone from nuns to prostitutes, never turning away a patient and putting her own life at risk to help those who needed it most. Dr. Chinn always kept a firearm on her while attending to patients. “Because black doctors were barred from private hospitals, Dr. Chinn often had to perform major operations in her patients’ homes, with a bed or an ironing board as an operating table,” according to a 1979 feature in The New York Times.
A Pioneer in Pap Smears
While attending Columbia for a second time to get her master’s in public health, Dr. Chinn set her sights on cancer research. Her parents passed away in the late 1930s, leading her to devote all her energies to the disease, at times sneaking into Memorial Hospital to conduct her research. In 1944 she was offered a staff position at Strang Clinic, one of the top facilities in the country for detecting cancer at its earliest stages. Dr. Chinn worked at the clinic for 26 years until her retirement in 1974.
At the Strang Clinic, Chinn worked with George Papanicolaou, the creator of the cervical cancer screening known as the Pap Smear. Dr. Chinn also conducted research into how family history can be connected with cancer probability predictions. She became a member of the Academy in 1954.
She was referenced by the New York City Cancer Committee of the American Cancer Society in 1957. May was also awarded an honorary doctorate of science from NYU, as well as an honorary doctorate from Columbia University, in 1980. She also helped to found the Susan Smith McKinney Steward Medical Fund.
Though she never married, May was engaged several times throughout her life, and was godmother to 19 children. One of her many godchildren was Franklin H. William, former United States Ambassador to Ghana and President of the Phelps-Stokes Fund. In 1979, he appointed the 82-year-old as medical consultant to a hundred refugees from southern Africa who were in the United States for college. She passed away on December 1st, 1980, at the age of 84. Perhaps a testament to her career of selflessness, she passed away while attending a reception for a friend at Columbia University.
Also read: Leading the Fight Against Tuberculosis and Syphilis
This is part of a series of articles featuring past Academy members across all eras.
Then Along Came the Second Trump Administration
Academy President and CEO Nicholas B. Dirks highlights some of the ways higher education and science in the United States are under threat during the second Trump Administration.
Published March 12, 2025
Originally published by Times Higher Education
There was little direct federal support for US scientific research until the National Defense Research Committee was convened in 1940. But on the back of the committee’s key role in developing radar, sonar and the nuclear bomb, its instigator, former MIT vice-president Vannevar Bush, wrote a report, The Endless Frontier, laying out a vision for the creation of a post-war National Science Foundation.
Established in 1950, the NSF provided unprecedented funding for fundamental research, conducted principally in America’s universities by faculty researchers whose projects were evaluated by scientific peers. The National Institutes of Health (NIH), which dates back to the late 19th century, also grew dramatically in the post-war years. And, together, the two agencies turned institutions that had previously struggled to support science into the gold standard for research universities globally.
Science may still be the “endless frontier”, but the federal funding that came as a result of Bush’s influential report may not be.
By 1964, government funding for research and development hit 1.9 per cent of US GDP, amid bipartisan support. But in recent decades it has fallen back to 0.7 per cent. The real growth in support over that period has come from the private sector, but, important though that is, it is too often confined to applied and proprietary research. Real progress, by contrast, is critically dependent on the open, global scientific ecosystem of fundamental research.
The 2023 State of Science in America report by the Science and Technology Action Committee (a non-partisan alliance of non-profit, academic, foundation and business leaders) strongly endorsed the importance of dramatically increasing federal support for science. The justifications voiced in surveys conducted across multiple sectors, including as many self-identified Republicans as Democrats, included a belief that science powers both the economy and national security and a concern that China was spending a much higher percentage of its GDP on research.
But then along came the second Trump administration.
While the effort to dismantle DEI in government offices, corporations and universities was announced in advance, the abrupt halt of NIH and NSF funding took universities by surprise. And even as some funding resumed, programmes presumed to have any connection to DEI “policies” or “preferences” (a far broader interpretation of DEI than had been expected) were peremptorily cancelled, along with other research programmes connected to concerns about climate change.
At the same time, a new – extremely low – cap on overhead rates was set at 15 per cent, abruptly withdrawing support for necessary scientific equipment, infrastructure and other real costs of research. Meanwhile, programme officers and other administrators have been fired, and elaborate protocols for granting and administering funding have been disrupted in ways no one seems yet able to grasp fully.
The consequences of all this are likely to be dire. Scientific research not only helps to drive the economy: it is the core reason why US technological innovation has exceeded that of any other nation. And while it may be commonly overlooked, federally funded research really is the bedrock of that dynamic.
For example, there is a popular myth that Steve Jobs and his team at Apple invented the iPhone. They did package an array of technologies in a single device with nifty design features, to be sure. But, as Mariana Mazzucato has shown in her 2011 book The Entrepreneurial State, those technologies – including the internet, GPS, touchscreen displays and voice-activated Siri – derived from federally supported research.
There are many reasons for the populist scepticism, distrust and downright dislike of science and research universities. Some of these reasons are doubtless our own fault. But it should not only be those directly affected who are upset by the prospect of dismantling the research apparatus of “elite” universities – where the bulk of non-profit scientific research in the US is conducted.
It will also do irreparable harm to the world’s entire scientific, technological and biomedical enterprise, not to mention US prosperity, security and health. University leaders may be correct to be cautious in voicing their alarm, but they would not be wrong to panic. Along with all the rest of us.
Chromatin Dynamics During Development
This special issue features papers describing various aspects of chromatin dynamics during early development, including how 3D genome structure is established and repressive chromatin is rebuilt during early zygotic development. Other topics include the role of retrotransposons in zygotic genome activation and how chromatin-associated condensates could serve as inspiration for the construction of DNA-based computers. The guest editor for this special issue is Daria Onichtchouk (University of Freiburg).