US science in chaos

BBC Inside Science

BBC

Technology, Science

4.5 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 13 March 2025

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The United States is the world’s science superpower. But right now, much of its research community is in a state of confusion.

In the past few weeks, the Trump administration has issued a huge number of orders – amongst them, large funding cuts for scientific institutions. We unpick what the implications are for the country’s role on the global scientific stage.

Also in the programme, we take another look at phone bans in schools. Why are the results of a recent study so different to the personal experience of teachers and students?

And Britain has a new snake – and it’s apparently thriving. Where has it come from and should we be worried?

To discover more fascinating science content, head to bbc.co.uk search for BBC Inside Science and follow the links to The Open University.

Presenter: Victoria Gill Producers: Ilan Goodman & Sophie Ormiston Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Josie Hardy

Transcript

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0:00.0	He tells her that she will be sent to France as a secret agent, and if she's caught, she's going to be shot.
0:09.3	I'm Helen Obalam Carter, and this is history's secret heroes, where I shine a light on extraordinary stories from World War II.
0:17.6	What they wanted was someone to get themselves arrested and sent to Auschwitz.
0:22.0	Tales of deception, an incredible acts of resistance and courage.
0:26.3	She was a born soldier.
0:27.4	She's a freedom fighter in its widest sense.
0:29.9	The brand new series of History's Secret Heroes.
0:32.8	Listen first on BBC Sounds.
0:36.4	BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts.
0:40.0	Hello, lovely, curious-minded people.
0:42.5	Welcome to your weekly dose of the scientific stories and surprises that are shaping our world.
0:48.1	Today, we are diving straight in to arguably the biggest science story in the world right now.
0:56.0	What is happening in the US? The United story in the world right now. What is happening in the US?
1:01.2	The United States is the world's science superpower. But right now, much of its research community is in a state of confusion and panic. It's all to do with a dizzying number of announcements
1:06.8	and orders by the Trump administration, all of which have come in the space of just a few weeks.
1:11.7	There have been funding cuts, legal challenges, and there are questions over the future of a number of
1:16.2	US-led international projects. This has all happened very quickly, and we want to unpick what the
1:22.4	implications are for the country's role on the global scientific stage. So earlier, I spoke to
1:27.2	David Malacoff,
1:28.0	who's international news editor from the publication science.
1:31.2	Can you break all of this down for us?
1:33.4	It's quite a timeline, isn't it?
	...

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