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Science Lessons for The Next President
Article

Science Lessons for The Next President

Science, 2016

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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Scientific
  • Well Structured
  • Concrete Examples

Recommendation

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria, rising sea levels and Alzheimer’s disease weren’t the most popular talking points in the campaign season that led up to the 2016 US presidential election. Nonetheless, US president-elect Donald Trump will have to tackle these pressing issues, and many more. In understandable language that breaks down jargon, science policy reporters David Malakoff and Jeffrey Mervis highlight the issues that will captivate the Oval Office over the next four years. While always politically neutral, getAbstract recommends this digestible primer to policy makers, concerned citizens, President-elect Donald Trump and his cabinet.

Summary

Six science-related issues that US president-elect Donald Trump will have to tackle include:

  1. Evolving pathogens – Antibiotic-resistant bacteria infect two million Americans each year; evolving pathogens multiply rapidly, causing unpredictable diseases like Zika fever. To prepare, the US needs to 1) plan for epidemics and pandemics, 2) fund and regulate new research, and 3) roll out efforts to cut down on antibiotics used in agriculture and human health care.
  2. New DNA-editing technology – The gene-editing tool CRISPR “snips DNA, which allows scientists...

About the Authors

David Malakoff and Jeffrey Mervis are reporters who specialize in science policy at Science.