Sarah Palin’s Scientific Judgement
From Sarah Palin's first policy speech:


Where does a lot of that earmark money end up anyway? [...] You've heard about some of these pet projects they really don't make a whole lot of sense and sometimes these dollars go to projects that have little or nothing to do with the public good. Things like fruit fly research in Paris, France. I kid you not.




video here

Sarah Palin's judgement on scientific matters appears to be right up there with John McCain's judgement on the free market and government regulation. Except that she really outdoes McCain in tone as she tries to mock and ridicule government funding of such projects.

Her misunderstanding and ignorance are quite staggering on two points:

First, she obviously has no clue that fruit flies (Drosophila) are one of the main model organisms in developmental biology and genetics. Research on them has been massively beneficial in science and medicine.

Now one could argue that not knowing about the importance of fruit flies in scientific research is not too big a deal, as it supposes some degree of scientific education, which she obviously does not have. But the second part of her statement is much more disturbing - namely her snide little remark about the research taking place in Paris, France. Naturally, trying to use France for ridicule is a typical Republican tactic.

But her remarks clearly show that she simply doesn't comprehend or appreciate the degree to which science is an international effort, conducted across political boundaries. Collaboration and cooperation between scientists all over the world is a vital and necessary requirement for scientific progress. To disparage or diminish scientific research because it is done in France is truly disgusting. Some of the smartest and most talented people I have known in science are from France or have done research there. I have been to a number of conferences in RNA and computational biology, attended by brilliant pioneers and leaders in the field including people like Eric Westhof from France.

It's one thing to be largely ignorant about specific areas of scientific research (even if you go out of your way to make a point about them in your first policy speech). But to actively mock the international nature of scientific research reveals a kind of malignant small-mindedness that is utterly toxic to the welfare of our nation and the rest of the world.

There are a lot of disturbing things about Sarah Palin and what she represents, but this particular one really hit home with me.