WATCH: Science Bargains with Trump, Protesters Storm NSF, and Slugs Go Solar

In Episode 9 of The Week in Science, Director of Science Programs at the National Association of Scholars (NAS) Scott Turner takes us on a tour of scientific upheaval—political, bureaucratic, and biological.

We begin with the five stages of grief—not for people, but for scientists, who are still grappling with the Trump administration’s supposed war on science. Anger and denial came first. But if two editorials in Science magazine are any indication, we may now be entering the bargaining phase. 

In one, editor-in-chief Holden Thorp admits that the scientific community’s tolerance for shoddy research helped bring about Trump’s Gold Standard Science order, which requires federally funded research to follow rigorous best practices. But since Trump backed it, Turner says, these once-celebrated standards have become radioactive in elite circles.

Thorp hopes a little contrition might make Trump go away. Turner’s take: Unlikely. Political control of science has been a fact since 1950.

Another Science editorial critiques the bipartisan American Science Acceleration Project, which aims to make U.S. science “10 times faster by 2030.” Modeled after Silicon Valley’s “move fast and break things” ethos, ASAP aligns with Trump-era priorities, such as AI and advanced computing. But speed, Turner agrees, doesn’t equal rigor. 

Next, Turner turns to bureaucratic unrest: the National Science Foundation is being evicted from its Alexandria headquarters so that Housing and Urban Development can move in. 

National Science Foundation (NSF) employees responded by protesting during HUD’s press event—filling hallways, chanting, and effectively shutting the event down. Ozlam Fisek, who wrote about the protest this week, notes that several laws may have been violated, including the Hatch Act and other statutes concerning interference with federal business.

Turner’s episode then detours back 41,000 years to ask: Did changes with the Earth’s magnetic field help wipe out the Neanderthals? 

Astrophysicists studying a dramatic magnetic disruption known as the Laschamps Excursion say yes—sunburn and climate chaos gave Homo sapiens, with their tailored clothes and primitive sunscreen, a competitive edge. But archaeologists aren’t convinced. Neanderthals used hides, built shelters, and knew about ochre, too. 

Finally, we are presented with two astonishing stories of symbiosis. 

The first: a sea slug that steals chloroplasts from algae and keeps them alive in its gut, storing them as emergency rations. The second: a darker tale. New research shows that cancer cells can steal mitochondria from nerve cells to fuel metastasis—a deadly form of cellular parasitism.

As always, Turner’s bottom line is clear: science isn’t settled. And sometimes, it gets downright weird! And that’s great..

Watch the episode below or on YouTube:

Follow Jared Gould on X and visit our Minding the Science column.

Image: “Chromodoris willani in the Philippines” by Diego Delso on Wikipedia