Brandon Keim over at Wired Science summarizes some of the military interest in neuroscience (it will make you shudder if you’re not already numb to such revelations). Scientists have an unfortunate history of making break-through discoveries in the name of national defense, with disastrous consequences. But a quote from the National Research Council reminds us:

But it’s important for us to get ahead of the curve. Soldiers are always on the cutting edge of new technologies.

Many in academia do oppose DoD funding for research, but they fail to see how everyday state funding of science comes with analogous biases, and they are constantly reminding the public how important scientific research is. As an illustration of this bizarre perception, most scientific journals require authors to declare “conflicts of interest” – corporate funding – which are distinct from “acknowledgments” for government (including DoD) or non-profit funding.

The Best of Kathryn Muratore