How far we have fallen.....

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Once upon a time, the US was tops in the field in science.  20 years ago, if you wanted a great science education, this is where you went.  As a result, in our lab we had people from all over the world.  

I am listening to the first COVID press conference.  We are 43rd in the world in sequencing the coronavirus in tracking mutations.

43rd.  

[Bob Ross]

Blame Trump! 

[pulmonarymd]

Because this pointy headed stuff is of no value, and costs money that we do not want to spend. People are unwilling to support anything without an actual "real world" application anymore. One reason so few people were studying coronaviruses in the first place. They did not cause real disease. Setting up facilities (like the CDC should have been doing) to sequence viruses quickly costs money. The republicans want to starve the federal government, so things that are not "important" aren't funded, and they can be done by the free market. Except the free market doesn't do them. It also goes along witht he anti-intellectualism we have now. How many times do we have to hear about the wasteful science the NIH is funding- like studying fruit flies.

[djAdvocate]

but but but....we lead the world in erection medication!

[pulmonarymd]

Yes, we are big pricks

[billisonboard]

For consideration:

Operation Paperclip was a secret program of the Joint Intelligence Objectives Agency (JIOA) largely carried out by special agents of Army CIC, in which more than 1,600 German scientists, engineers, and technicians, such as Wernher von Braun and his V-2 rocket team, were taken from Germany to the United States, for U.S. government employment, primarily between 1945 and 1959. Many were former members, and some were former leaders, of the Nazi Party. link

How much more of American expertise has been imported rather than home grown? How might this have lessened over the years, both in terms of coming and staying?

[pulmonarymd]

We have benefited greatly by immigration, intellectual and academic freedom, and our resources. Our innate advantages have degraded due to the stability of much of the rest of the world, as well as some not so wonderful developments here. In addition, the more we discount science and expertise, the more we degrade our home grown talent. To remain the economic and scientific powerhouse we were will require more effort. Currently, we do not seem to have the will to do so. Time will tell if we can keep our place at the top.