Thousands of scientists and science supporters gathered yesterday, on Earth Day, to March for Science. This comes at a time when many are in fear over the policies threatened by President Trump. Several prominent figures in the science community and science celebrities spoke up for science, including American astrophysicist, Neil deGrasse Tyson:
Show me a Nation with a science-hostile government, and I’ll show you a society with failing health, wealth, & security.
— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) April 22, 2017
TV host and scientist Bill Nye, one of the event’s speakers, told the rain-soaked crowd, “Today we have a great many lawmakers – not just here but around the world – deliberately ignoring and actively suppressing science.”
The march was a celebration of science and the many ways it serves our communities and the world.
“We are at a critical juncture. Science is under attack,” said Cara Santa Maria, a science communicator who was one of several emcees of the four-hour rally that kicked off at 10 a.m. “The very idea of evidence and logic and reason is being threatened by individuals and interests with the power to do real harm.”
After the Women’s March in January, the idea of a science march was discussed online on Reddit. After numerous science organizations showed their support, it became an event that would come to include more than 600 cities around the world.
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