Scientists celebrate dawn of Barack Obama's age of reason

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article5728204.ece

From The Times
February 14, 2009

Scientists celebrate dawn of Barack Obama's age of reason

Mark Henderson, Science Editor

Opening on the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth, the 175th conference of the world's largest science society was always likely to have a celebratory feel to it.

There was indeed a palpable buzz yesterday in the subterranean conference rooms of the two downtown Chicago hotels where the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is holding its annual meeting. The real excitement, however, has had much less to do with Darwin than with the most famous former resident of America's second city — Barack Obama.

This AAAS meeting has been a coming-out party for American scientists after eight years in which they have felt marginalised and ignored. Few sections of American society found George W. Bush's presidency quite as dispiriting as its scientists. From climate change to stem-cell research, the White House was at odds with researchers over virtually all the issues they most cared about.

President Obama has changed all that. With an extra $65 billion (£45 billion) promised for energy and research in his stimulus package, with new policies on global warming and stem cells, and above all with a list of appointments that includes some of the most glittering names in American science, he has transformed the mood of the nation's laboratories — and the mood of this conference.

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[jpak]

1. The journal Nature invited both McCain and Obama to write articles detailing their science policies

It was quite clear the Obama "got it" and McCain was absolutely clueless.

Like night and day...

[tabatha]

2. I heard grumblings very early in the Bush admin....

especially in the world of ecology and restoration, and that was before his most egregious acts.

My thankfulness knows no bounds.

[Thickasabrick]

3. I started singing "Age of Aquarius" when I saw your post. Flashbacks

can be fun.

[DCKit]

4. BushCo is out, yet they're still hiding in the basement.

It's going to take a long time to undo the damage.