March 19, 2014
American science, long a source of national power and pride, is increasingly becoming a private enterprise. In
Washington, budget cuts have left the nation’s research complex
reeling. Labs are closing. Scientists are being laid off. Projects are
being put on the shelf, especially in the risky, freewheeling realm of
basic research. Yet from Silicon Valley to Wall Street, science
philanthropy is hot, as many of the richest Americans seek to reinvent
themselves as patrons of social progress through science research. The
result is a new calculus of influence and priorities that the
scientific community views with a mix of gratitude and trepidation. Read more
