Science News Recap, March 28, 2025

by Mandy Morgan March 28, 2025

Make an Impact Immediately—Subscribe and Discover!

Science urgently needs informed advocates like you. Subscribe for free to our independently funded weekly newsletter packed with expert insights and emerging discoveries. 🚀 Don’t hesitate! Share today and help us build a future driven by science!

Cuts to science research funding cut American lives short − federal support is essential for medical breakthroughs

The potential reduction in federal research funding, driven by policy changes within agencies like the NIH and NSF, poses a significant threat to the future of U.S. biomedical research, which has historically fueled critical medical breakthroughs—from new treatments for cancer to advances in managing autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases. Divestment in this field could not only halt important scientific progress but also undermine the nation’s health, academic institutions, and global scientific leadership, jeopardizing future generations’ chances for medical innovation and public health improvements.

Don’t destroy scientific research grant review

The Trump administration’s decision to block new National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant awards risks severely undermining the cornerstone of U.S. leadership in disease research and innovation in STEM, as federal research grants are pivotal for scientific excellence and progress. Halting the NIH grant process not only delays crucial research and wastes taxpayer dollars but also threatens to dismantle the current highly-regarded peer-review system that ensures rigorous scientific advancements, potentially shifting funding dynamics in a way that could compromise the equitable and effective allocation essential for groundbreaking discoveries and cures.

Inside arXiv—the Most Transformative Platform in All of Science

Paul Ginsparg’s creation of arXiv revolutionized scientific publishing by providing an open-access platform for sharing research papers before peer review, challenging traditional, profit-driven academic publishing and supporting rapid scientific collaboration. Despite facing technical and administrative challenges, arXiv remains an essential resource for scientists worldwide, underscoring the need for more equitable and efficient systems in academia to ensure the free exchange of knowledge.

Why Climate Change is a National Security Threat

The omission of climate change from the U.S. intelligence community’s 2025 annual threat assessment, for the first time in over a decade, signals a concerning shift in federal priorities under the Trump Administration’s influence, potentially undermining national security preparedness and diplomatic relations. As experts warn, neglecting the broad-reaching impacts of climate change, from exacerbating geopolitical tensions to straining essential infrastructure, could leave the nation vulnerable to intensified threats and unprepared for future crises.