Name: Scientists must be free to learn, to speak and to challenge
Uploaded: 2018-05-16T14:58:50Z
Duration: 13 min 45 s
Description: "You do not mess with something so fundamental, so precious, as science," says Kirsty Duncan, Canada's first Minister of Science. In a heartfelt, inspiring talk about pushing boundaries, she makes the case that researchers must be free to present uncomfortable truths and challenge the thinking of the day -- and that we all have a duty to speak up when we see science being stifled or suppressed.

"You do not mess with something so fundamental, so precious, as science," says Kirsty Duncan, Canada's first Minister of Science. In a heartfelt, inspiring talk about pushing boundaries, she makes the case that researchers must be free to present uncomfortable truths and challenge the thinking of the day -- and that we all have a duty to speak up when we see science being stifled or suppressed.

Scientists must be free to learn, to speak and to challenge

Scientific discovery thrives when researchers can speak openly, tackle tough questions, and report inconvenient truths. Efforts to suppress research—like silencing a scientist whose work linked algae blooms to climate change—undermine both knowledge and public trust. Even failed experiments, such as an Arctic expedition to unearth the 1918 flu virus, lead to valuable breakthroughs in technique and safety. Societies move forward only when scientists are free to challenge, question, and share their findings.