Silencing Inconvenient Science -- Vavilov
After yesterday's interactions there is no question that the recent events by USRTK and activist groups are simply a drive to fight scientific literacy, and dissuade students and newly minted academics from entering the discussion. The libel, defamation and reputation harm we endure, along with veiled threats and undue criticism, stand to repel scientists from simply teaching science, and most of all, from participating in a public dialog. Facts sometimes can be inconvenient to activist agendas, so they must eliminate or marginalize the teachers. Here on a sunny Sunday, I present a story you may not know... but it has eerie parallels to today's discussion about the attacks on science and reason. Nikolai Vavilov was a brilliant scientist and gifted geneticist, years before genetics was even a discipline. His tireless collections of plant species, incredible observations and excellent science were decades before his time. His collections of seeds are among the world’s