Mexico’s new science law has generated fierce opposition from many in the scientific community who argue it will centralize government control over research and impose an agenda dictated by politics. The new law streamlines the government agency responsible for funding scientific research and removes academic and scientific organizations from project evaluation. “The state has to play a guiding role in research,” says Antonio Lazcano, a professor at the School of Sciences at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). “What the state cannot do is decide where the research goes.” Congress approved the legislation in a rush at the end of April. Many critics expect Mexico’s Supreme Court will overturn the law on the grounds that its passage skirted rules of legislative debate. For researchers who focus on the environment and climate change, the measure is another blow under a presidency that has shown little regard for the environment. President... [Log in to read more]