NEW YORK – For decades, Bill Nye has given the science boy a simple message to generations of children and adults: “Science rules!” The catchphrase had a new meaning on Thursday, while NYE criticized Health and Human Services Chief Robert F. Kennedy Jr. And his views and decisions about science and vaccines.
“We really try in planetary science to stay away from politics,” he said. “But man, it’s really difficult now – this is so extreme.”
The much -loved CEO of the planetary society spoke passionately about the importance and need for research and science on Stat’s Breakthrough Summit East. Speaking of Kennedy, he said: “He is a man who does not believe in vaccines! Guy, pasteurized milk, I mean, come on, this is a few centuries old. I went to primary school with a man who had polio. You don’t want polio. Polio, bad! That’s a man who doesn’t really understand something.”
NYE has not only saved his anger for Kennedy. He also spoke about Dave Weldon, whose support for anti-vaccine theories his candidacy is well-known to lead the centers for disease control and prevention.
“This man is so nutty that even our congress could not hire him,” he said.
NYE’s comments came during a panel about his work and history with Ataxia, a rare movement disorder that is often incorrectly diagnosed as Parkinson’s or multiple sclerosis. In recent years, the Science Communicator has adopted a more pronounced attitude in the consciousness of the condition that his family has speeded up and Thousands of others For generations.
Nye’s co-panelist Andrew Rosen, Chief Executive Officer of the National Ataxia Foundation, spoke in the same way about the concerns of leading science in the current federal environment. Ten years ago, he said, there was a scarce pharmaceutical interest in developing ataxia treatments. Now, thanks to the advocacy of NYE, the interest has bloomed. But their research community is attacked.
“We give a few million dollars a year to research grants, and we are proud of that,” said Rosen. “You would hardly be under pressure to find an Ataxia researcher in the world who has not received a subsidy from us over the years. We are proud of that, but we cannot match what happens at the federal level, where programs are attacked.”
When the panel ended, Rosen pointed to the presidential medal of the freedom of NYE on his packing jacket.
“You have that pin code because you have trained the world about science, and I don’t know if there has ever been a time when we need that more,” he said, a cheers of the audience.
NYE ended the panel with more training and the public told that the American Constitution explicitly instructs the congress to promote the progress of science.
“I think the pendulum is going to swing,” said Nye. “I think there is only so much incompetence that we are going to tolerate.”