Notebook

Getting Leaner But Not Meaner All You Need is Drugs Thanks, But The Answer's No Spreading The News Researchers have an obligation to think about what's good for society as well as what's important for science, says Rep. George Brown (D-Calif.), chairman of the House Science, Space, and Transportation Committee. Such public-spirited thinking, he says, could lead to a smaller federal research budget but a healthier citizenry and stronger national economy. Speaking at the National Academy of Sciences to a group gathered to discuss a new report that argues for the need to set priorities in space research, Brown warned his audience that "we must stop choosing between science and social assistance, and start asking how we can be responsible about both. This may mean leaner science budgets that more effectively accomplish good science." Brown also said he "could envision a vital space science program without a space station, or ...