That’s why the world’s scientific journals endorse Joe Biden

“The facts and science show that Donald Trump has seriously harmed America and the American people, because he denies facts and science,” Scientific American wrote in an editorial on October 1.

Never before in its 175-year history has the prestigious popular science magazine stood in favor of a presidential candidate. “This year we have to do that. We do not take it lightly,” the newspaper writes. They highlight the devastating consequences of Donald Trump’s dishonest and incompetent handling of the corona pandemic, and how he has attacked environmentalists, health care, researchers and public scientific institutions working to prepare America for the greatest challenges facing the country. “Time to get rid of Trump and elect Biden, who has a history of hearing the facts and being guided for science “, summarizes the document.

During a campaign rally in Carson City last Sunday Donald Trump himself mocked Joe Biden for “listening to scientists”. “If I had listened fully to researchers, our country would be in a massive depression right now. Instead, we are like a rocket ship,” the president said. At the same time, several of the world’s most respected scientific journals have come out in recent weeks and have openly shown their support for Joe Biden ahead of the November 3 presidential election. Something similar had never happened before.

“We cannot stay on the sidelines And watch and let the science be mined “Joe Biden’s confidence in truth, evidence, science and democracy makes him the only possible alternative in the US elections,” writes the journal Nature. Even before the 2016 presidential election, the London-based magazine expressed its hope that Hillary Clinton would win. In their first post-Donald Trump victory, Nature wrote that they were disappointed, but nonetheless, American democracy had been designed to protect the country from extreme hype, with systems of control that made it difficult for a president to wield full power. “We hoped this would help limit the damage that could result from Trump’s disregard for evidence and truth, disrespect for those with whom he disagrees, and toxic attitudes toward women,” the magazine now writes. “How wrong would it be that we did it.”

Nature presents a long list of examples of how Donald Trump has undermined research and public trust in science and scientific institutions. It has left important international agreements and organizations, such as the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the Nuclear Energy Agreement with Iran, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the World Health Organization. (WHO), in the middle of the pandemic. “Trump claims he puts ‘America first.’ But in his response to the pandemic, Trump has put himself first, not the United States, “the magazine writes.

No modern president has tried to politicize the authorities and purge their scientific expertise to the same extent as this one. “Actions taken by the Trump administration are accelerating climate change, eradicating wilderness areas, polluting the air and killing more wildlife and humans,” writes Nature.

“Will Cancer Care Be a Winner? in the United States elections? “is the headline of an editorial in the journal Lancet Oncology. The leader explains how Donald Trump has politicized, undermined and cut funding for governments and scientific organizations, and appointed inappropriate leaders without scientific credentials.” In this crucial election campaign, The Lancet supports Oncology Biden, “the magazine writes.” He is the only candidate who sees the importance of health care as a human right that strengthens society, and not as another business opportunity that can enrich a small minority. “

Lancet Oncology is a special issue of the Lancet, the world’s most respected medical journal, along with the New England Journal of Medicine, NEJM. NEJM has also spoken out before the presidential elections. Under the headline “Dying in a Leadership Vacuum,” the magazine writes that the crisis in the crown has become a test of leadership: “Here in the United States, our leaders failed the test. They have taken a crisis and the have become a tragedy. “

Unlike the other magazines, NEJM does not mention Donald Trump or Joe Biden by name. But it is still clear who he is referring to. “Anyone who wasted lives and money in this way so mercilessly would suffer legal consequences,” the magazine writes. “This election gives us the power to do justice. Undoubtedly, sensible people will have different views on many of the political positions of the candidates. But the truth is neither liberal nor conservative. When it comes to dealing with the greater In the public health crisis of our time, our current political leaders have shown themselves to be dangerously incompetent. We must not support them and allow thousands more deaths among Americans by allowing leaders to keep their jobs. “

Science magazine, published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, AAAS, cannot take a clear political position because AAAS is a non-profit organization.

– But we’ve done everything possible, says the magazine’s editor-in-chief, Holden Thorp.

In the editorial “Don’t waste our shot” (sort of: we don’t waste our ammunition) he writes about how science journals can really contribute to real political change. The title alludes to a key phrase from the Broadway musical “Hamilton,” which takes place at another pivotal moment in American history: the American Revolution and the birth of America as an independent nation.

– It is a fatal moment for the United States, when we have a president who is actively attacking science, calling Anthony Fauci and other public health experts “all those idiots.” Instead, they trust researchers who are willing to distort the truth to come up with ideas that the government likes but are not based on data, experiments and scientific conclusions, says Holden Thorp.

It’s a fateful time for America, when we have a president actively attacking science

Holden Thorp wants to use his position and speak on behalf of all those researchers who are opposed or offended by government policy, or who are unable to speak out for fear of the consequences.

– Even in this tense situation, politicians know they need science. They need science to develop advanced medicine, new technology, and a thriving job market. The only problem is that many of the politicians want all of that, but they don’t want to know anything about the underlying principles. And we’ve left them the parts they like, without them having to accept how we got there. So now is the time to tell the full story of how science works.