GTF Question #3: Should science be censored?
The National Science Advisory Board on Biosecurity’s controversial decision to recommend censorship of two scientific papers describing a highly transmissible mutant of the H5N1 avian flu virus has brought to wide attention the difficulties of communication between scientists and the general public.
The NSABB argued that if the methods in the papers became widely available, the public could be faced with a serious biosecurity threat. However, many scientists feel that the action of censhorship was informed by fear, instead of scientific reason. Virologist Dr. Vincent Racaniello of Columbia University has stated that the “decision to censor the influenza H5N1 data not only will inhibit work on this important virus, but will have far-reaching consequences for [the future of] scientific research.”
Until April 8, 2012 at 11:59 PM, we will be accepting short essay responses to this question. Responses should be between 400-1000 words in length and should provide an opinion-based perspective on the issue. Further information on submissions can be found here. For all inquiries, please email submissions@ghjournal.org. Please submit all pieces via our GlobalThink Forum submissions form.
