Opinion in 1998

Research ministers met for a seminar in London this week to discuss how to improve the handling of European-level research. The solution lies in steady and targeted reforms to practices in Brussels.

Researchers in South America have a unique opportunity to advance their position in world science, provided they champion necessary reforms of universities and research agencies.

Enthusiasm for science is strong in Washington, but enthusiasm for necessary choices is not.

Debates on bioprospecting tend to be dominated by historical distrust and visions of new riches. Companies and countries alike need to recognize each other's needs, but remain realistic about the issues at stake.

Cancer patients in Italy are threatening their own survival through faith in a miracle cure. But the government is justified in sanctioning controlled tests of the therapy, even if it lacks a scientific basis.

A lack of scientific and technical expertise among diplomats is likely to marginalize the diplomatic corps.

Early next month, the population of Switzerland will start to vote on the abandonment of research using genetically modified animals and plants. Scientists have behaved commendably but to insufficient effect.

Scientific and medical enthusiasm for the potential contributions of germline gene therapy must not obscure the need for detailed debate about its potential consequences — or for careful monitoring and sensitive regulation.

Effective maritime research requires collaboration, but the case for a European agency has still to be made.

France's scientific and technological structures have no choice but to undergo a revolution. The government must encourage a climate of competitiveness and risk-taking required to ensure a strong scientific future.

A small rebellion reflects postdocs' dissatisfaction with meetings of questionable value.

A meeting in Beijing should provide a welcome opportunity to move forward in debates about the ethics and science of eugenics. Western scientists and their hosts should make the most of it.

South Korea's president has taken a bold first step by strengthening the science ministry, but problems abound.

Frustration among French researchers at an apparent slowing down in promised reforms threatens to undermine an essential process. A less abrasive attitude on the government's part is essential.

The abandonment of a privately managed satellite should encourage sharper thinking about such ventures.

The costs of preventing the barbarity of biological warfare are not only financial but also include intrusiveness, at home as well as abroad. There is an urgent need to shoulder those costs to ensure an effective ban.

Worries about failure to replicate Dolly are premature but stimulating.

Barring accidents, construction of the space station seems inevitable. Obstacles confront those hoping to achieve high-quality research there. There is a continuing need for close monitoring of priorities.

The practice by which some researchers restrict access to published data for a year has hitherto been accepted. Nature and Science are collaborating to investigate whether that acceptance should cease.

Is the US Department of Energy abusing its monopoly of information on nuclear weapons to stifle argument?