The start of a Trump administration. The prospect of political appointees that eschew scientific consensus. Renewed attacks on institutions of science. To many scientists, 2025 is shaping up like 2017.
The same ingredients that were in the pressure cooker that led to the historic March for Science are present. But at the moment, there seem to be no cooks in the kitchen. There are no plans for another march.
The march eight years ago was an unprecedented display of political activism by scientists and allies. It was hailed as a shift in the way that scientists, who generally had avoided partisan politics, saw their place on the public stage. By leaders’ own estimates, more than a million people participated in marches in more than 600 cities across the globe.
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