Science continues to be paramount to defense

It is easy to image that we are in a shooting gallery, and aren't the shooters. Against us are still the enemies humans have fought since our footprints were first captured by the clay of an African Savanna. While we should be encouraged by all the research in human health that has been conducted in the laboratories of the world, our survival is still not certain. I remember years ago talking with a researcher in Entebbe, Uganda, and asking how many malaria-like viruses had been identified in his research center. I forget if he said hundreds or thousands. (Not too different from experience of a traditional healer at the same time in Africa. Evil spirits or deadly viruses. And then the treatment was not much different.) Millions still die that might have lived. We struggle to use at scale what we know and fight to extend our medical knowledge, while the armies of disease respond with new weapons. It is a war. But if you listen to many of our leaders in their hearings before Congressional Committees, you might think it is a game of partisan pickleball (with hand grenades). Good science depends upon mutual respect and cooperation. It involves many attempts, the exploration of many ideas. Two steps forward; one step back. Success follows when scientists work alongside, with, not against each other. Of course, some promising projects don't work out. Failure is an important step on the road of success. There are no guarantees in science. But we don't write off one approach by the choice of another. We often circle back. We reexamine test data. And there are always new ideas and improvements that can be made as extensions of past discoveries. If you believe this, as I do, then the way forward, the choice of survival, is maximum effort. We have the available resources. Talk about cutting research here so we can do something different over there, is nonsense. We are fighting for the health of our children and their children. If we find one promising field of work is only a partial success, we can try to find ways to do better. Some criticize the effectiveness of mRNA based vaccines. Is this a reason for withdrawing funding for mRNA research, or shouldn't we be increasing funding to better understand its limitations and to explore potential improvements. If I'm a pitching coach, and your curve ball is only getting a 40% swing and miss, I don't tell you to stop throwing the pitch, or not until we have done a lot more experimenting with your grip. Fortunately, we are not a poor country. We have developed a great base for doing science. That means we can get past apparent failures to new frontiers of research. That means that we have the ability to train many more scientists and engineers. We don't lack the resources. Instead of cutting back on grants to universities, instead of letting go thousands of government scientists, we should be opening new laboratories, increasing grants for graduate studies in the health sciences, recruiting brilliant students from the farthest reaches of the planet to work with world-class equipment and senior scientists. Shut down research? No, fund new research centers. Share new knowledge with scientists in other nations. Participate in the global institutions that are furthering our understanding of climate issues, or plastics pollution, or any other old or new problem. We have the resources, even now, even in this time of petty quarrels over practically every inconsequential issue, to create a world culture of science. A culture based on humility and hope. A culture able to protect against discoveries that can be weaponized or unconsciously might do harm, to ourselves and our planet. A culture committed to helping us flourish as never before in the face of threats, ancient and modern. We do not stand defenseless in that shooting gallery. As I used to say to players on my softball teams, play defense and we will win. Then the offense will take care of itself. And science will help with that as well. John Bing is Emeritus Professor of Political Science at Heidelberg University and writes a by-weekly newsletter at johnb0c.substack.com