https://www.science.org is no longer available in Russia

Amid the deterioration of the Internet in Russia, the site https://www.science.org has stopped opening on Russian territory. Russia is creating its own separate segment of the Internet, similar to the "Great Firewall of China".

ScienceInsider: Israeli attack kills two of Iran’s top nuclear weapons scientists

I don't think that doing science gives moral indulgence. A researcher who does scientific work in the military field must understand that he is a target. On the other hand, authoritarian authorities may not give him a choice, as happened with Andrei Sakharov. Having created the most monstrous weapon in the world, a thermonuclear bomb, as I understand it, he spent the rest of his life atoning for his guilt, becoming a defender of human rights in the USSR and was persecuted (in the city of Gorky, now the city has returned to its old name Nizhny Novgorod) and tortured (forced feeding through a tube).

ScienceInsider/Asia/Pacific

Israeli attack kills two of Iran’s top nuclear weapons scientists

Bombing raids target uranium enrichment facility and key personnel

13 Jun 2025 4:25 PM ET By Richard Stone

Read more: https://www.science.org/content/article/israeli-attack-kills-two-iran-s-top-nuclear-weapons-scientists

ScienceInsider: Congress shows first signs of resisting Trump’s plans to slash science budgets

The Republican-controlled Congress is showing signs of resistance to Trump's plans to cut the research budget for agricultural research. I don't think this is unexpected. The U.S. agricultural industry is a powerful lobbyist and very likely relies on government-sponsored research. Expensive research can be afforded by large corporations and agricultural holdings, but many independent farmers cannot.

ScienceInsider/Science and Policy

Congress shows first signs of resisting Trump’s plans to slash science budgets

House panel rejects cuts to agricultural research, and Senators express doubts about cuts to NIH and forest research

13 Jun 2025 5:40 PM ET By Dan Charles

 

Read more: Congress shows first signs of resisting Trump’s plans to slash science budgets | Science | AAAS

ScienceInsider: Trump’s proposed cut to giant physics experiment could snuff out new form of astronomy

The cuts in scientific spending in the United States under Trump are jeopardizing the gravitational wave astronomy project. It is planned to close one of the gravitational wave detectors, which are located in the States. There is still one left in Europe. The closure of one of the detectors means that the resolution of this complex of devices will be greatly reduced. The situation can be saved by the construction of a gravitational wave detector in Asia, by such large countries as China and India. But it seems that the new round of the arms race, provoked by Russia, puts an end to these wishes.

 

ScienceInsider/Physics

Trump’s proposed cut to giant physics experiment could snuff out new form of astronomy

Degrading LIGO’s observations of gravitational waves would amount to “killing a newborn baby,” one astrophysicist says

10 Jun 2025 5:35 PM ET By Adrian Cho 

 Read more:  Trump’s proposed cut to giant physics experiment could snuff out new form of astronomy | Science | AAAS

Trumpastrophe 12: References to phantom studies comes after White House pledge to practice “gold standard” science

 It is important to understand that there is no "gold standard" in science. It is just a catchy word, because Trump loves everything golden. In fact, science is a very difficult and hard business, like any other human business, and there are no miracles in it, but there is hard and painstaking mental work. There is an old saying "there are no royal roads in science", which means that there are no easy steps even to simple scientific conclusions. The fact that the commission's report contains references to non-existent works only speaks of the incompetence of this commission and its harm to society (not only American).

 

Trump officials downplay fake citations in high-profile report on children’s health

References to phantom studies comes after White House pledge to practice “gold standard” science

30 May 2025 4:50 PM ET By Phie Jacobs 

 read:  https://www.science.org/content/article/trump-officials-downplay-fake-citations-high-profile-report-children-s-health

What was interesting at the beginning of this week, June 2-3

1. The Trump administration's policies are exacerbating the crisis in the US national academic community by causing job losses for scientists who receive government funding. I read how the economic crisis in the USSR began in the 70s, which began with an unpublicized reduction in scientific positions and departments at the institutes of the Academy of Sciences, in particular at Baykov's IMET [in the book "Baykov's IMET - 80 years", ed. by Academician Solntsev, "Interkontakt Nauka", 2018]. These events seemed similar to me. I hope the US can survive these difficulties.

National Academies, staggering from Trump cuts, on brink of dramatic downsizing
Plan for slashed units and mission to be presented at governor’s meeting next week

2 Jun 2025, 4:50 PM ET By Meredith Wadman

read here: https://www.science.org/content/article/national-academies-staggering-trump-cuts-brink-dramatic-downsizing

2. Experimental muon magnetism turns out to be exactly as predicted by theory.

Long-running physics experiment dashes hope of new particles and forces
Muon is just as magnetic as predicted, requiring no new theory to explain

3 Jun 2025, 12:00 PM ET By Adrian Cho

Read here: https://www.science.org/content/article/long-running-physics-experiment-dashes-hope-new-particles-and-forces

3. Octopus can grow two from one severed tentacle (video)

This octopus grew a ninth arm—which soon developed a mind of its own
Study highlights just how flexible cephalopod’s bodies are after injury and during recovery

2 Jun 2025, 3:30 PM ET By Sahas Mehra

Read here: https://www.science.org/content/article/octopus-grew-ninth-arm-which-soon-developed-mind-its-own