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US Election 2012

Science and politics are uneasy bed-fellows. The first is built on evidence and objectivity; the second thrives on opinion and persuasion. Nowhere is that relationship more fraught than in the United States, where the need to win votes can trump scientific evidence on issues such as climate change and public health - and where scientists have little sympathy for political give and take. Nature scrutinizes the intersection of politics and science in the run-up to the US election on Tuesday 6 November.

Opinion

  • A vote for science

    In support for science and environmental issues, Barack Obama and the Democrats have a clear advantage over Mitt Romney and the Republican Party.

  • A second wind for the president

    A lack of leadership has hampered progress against global warming. If Barack Obama earns a second term as US president, will he have the energy to tackle climate?

Features

  • Political Science

    Science and politics are uneasy bed–fellows and nowhere is that relationship more fraught than in the United States. As the American elections draw near, Nature examines the intersection between politics and science.

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  • The Obama Experiment

    Nearly four years after US President Barack Obama pledged to put science in its rightful place, Nature asks if he kept his word.

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News

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