Vol 439|16 February 2006 NEWS After budget cuts, this US space scientists rage picture of a mission to find earth-like planets is unlikely over axed projects to become a reality. Proposed cuts to NASA’s science budget have Scientists appreciate that NASA’s adminis- unleashed a storm of anger from US astro- trator, Mike Griffin, is struggling to balance nomers and planetary researchers, who say the his books. Griffin explained during the budget reductions would cause irreparable harm and press conference that the science cuts were drive young people from the field. necessary to pay for shuttle flights required to Under a NASA budget unveiled on 6 Febru- complete the International Space Station. “It’s ary (see Nature439,644; 2006), growth in what we needed to do,” he said regretfully. science spending between 2007 and 2010 But Jonathan Lunine, a planetary scientist at would be slashed by 17%. The budget proposed the University of Arizona, Tucson, sums up by President George W. Bush has yet to be the view of many when he says he finds it approved by Congress, but many planned pro- “puzzling and frustrating” that NASA would jects — from planet searches to a Mars sample divert money from science, widely considered return, as well as scores of individual research its most productive enterprise, to keep the grants — are likely to be scrapped (see ‘Some aged space shuttles flying. “It seems that NASA cuts proposed at NASA’). is trying to capitalize on its failures rather than Planetary scientist Alan Boss of the Carn- its successes,” says Lunine. egie Institution of Washington says the cuts Particularly hard hit is the search for new would devastate US space science — just as planets, a field that appeals to young scientists, physics was jolted when the Superconducting says Charles Beichman of the California Insti- Super Collider was cancelled in 1993, after tute of Technology, Pasadena. NASA could $2 billion had been spent on it. “High energy keep developing technologies for the Terrestrial physics never quite recovered from that.” Planet Finder (TPF) mission given just $10 mil- lion next year, he says. There is fury not just at the size of the cuts, SOME CUTS PROPOSED AT NASA Instead, the TPF’s budget but at how they were decided and announced to will be wiped out. NASA the science community. Heidi Hammel, a plan- Space Interferometry Mission to map stars Delayed by three years claims the mission is etary researcher with the Space Science Institute Terrestrial Planet Finder Deferred indefinitely LISA, searching for gravitational waves Deferred indefinitely “deferred indefinitely”, in Boulder, Colorado, says that NASA’s advisory Constellation X, a group of X-ray satellites Deferred indefinitely says Beichman. “The fact council was not operating during much of last Mars Sample Return Deferred indefinitely/cancelled is, they are cancelling the year and so “there was absolutely no way to NuSTAR, a high-energy X-ray satellite Will not proceed to development TPF. They are breaking know how these decisions had been made. It’s Europa mission Not proposed up the technology team.” sort of like a black hole over there.” Disgraced cloner’s ally is cleared of misconduct Gerald Schatten was the Western 308,1777–1783; 2005 and Nature obtained eggs unethically, to create Nature436,641; 2005) reporting face of Woo Suk Hwang’s stem-cell 438,718; 2005). Schatten was the world’s first stem-cell line from a the first cloned dog, Snuppy, was team, which was recently exposed senior author on the paper, and his cloned human embryo back in based solely on the dubious for faking the results of cloning gushing praise of Hwang’s research 2004. But they are less pleased with suggestion “that a professional experiments. On 10 February, was instrumental in raising the Schatten’s decision to name himself photographer be engaged so that Schatten was cleared of misconduct South Korean team’s profile in the senior author on a paper for which Snuppy would appear with greater by his university, but chided for United States and elsewhere. his only contribution was editorial. visual appeal”. Although stopping taking so much credit for research The full report has not been The summary also points out short of misconduct, the panel in which he was barely involved. released, but in a public summary, that Schatten signed a cover letter describes Schatten’s actions as The University of Pittsburgh in the six anonymous investigators for the 2005 Sciencepaper claiming “research misbehaviour”. Philadelphia decided to investigate conclude that there is no evidence that all 25 authors of the paper Stem-cell researchers contacted Schatten in December after claims that Schatten knew about the fraud had read and approved of the by Naturegenerally approve of in aScience paper that he had taking place in Hwang’s lab, and manuscript, when very few of them the report and its conclusions. co-authored with Seoul National they applaud Schatten for taking probably had. And it notes that “Dr Schatten was as much of a University’s Hwang turned out to be swift action when he became Schatten’s co-authorship of a 2005 victim as the scientific community,” false (see W. S. Hwang et al. Science convinced that Hwang’s team had Nature paper (see B. C. Lee et al. says Evan Snyder, who directs the 768 ©2006 Nature PublishingGroup NATURE|Vol 439|16 February 2006 NEWS WINTER OLYMPICS From the science of artificial snow to extreme medical treatments. www.nature.com/news Biomedicine to sell itself as a local hero Lobbyists for biomedical Lobbyists say they aim So advocacy groups are NASA/JPL-CALTECH NASA/JPL-CALTECH science are changing tactics to dispel the notion that the going local, by showing in an attempt to reverse what NIH should be satisfied with lawmakers how NIH funding they see as a worrying decline the fact that its budget was has benefited their states and in funding. As well as talking doubled between 1999 and home districts. Retzlaff says generally about the benefits of 2003. They claim that, that FASEB will start with biomedical research, they plan because of inflation, the districts served by members to tailor their arguments to agency now has 10% less of the powerful House budget local economic issues, close purchasing power than in committee, chaired by to lawmakers’ hearts. 2003, and is on track to issue Republican Jim Nussle of In his 6 February budget 3,000 fewer grants in 2007 Iowa. And the Association of request, President George W. than in 2003. They also argue American Medical Colleges Bush asked Congress to keep that the budget doubling will emphasize that the funding flat for the National spurred many young people University of Pittsburgh Institutes of Health (NIH) in to enter biomedical science. Medical Center is the largest 2007. This would mark the The erosion of that money is private employer in western fourth consecutive year that leaving these new researchers Pennsylvania. NIH funding has not kept pace out in the cold. “There are a lot of places with inflation, and advocates “We’re eating our seed around the country that would are worried. “We’re going to corn,” says FASEB president like to emulate Pittsburgh,” have to change the way we’ve Bruce Bistrian, a molecular says Dave Moore of the done things in the past,” says biologist at Beth Israel association’s office of Jon Retzlaff, director of Deaconess Medical Center in government relations. “It’s legislative relations for the Boston, Massachusetts. “We important for us to talk about Federation of American could lose a generation of the role the NIH plays as a Societies for Experimental researchers, or at least driver for local economies.” ■ Biology (FASEB). several years’ worth.” Erika Check The lack of communication extended even satellite had actually been cancelled. to figure out what it all means — and they to projects that were being axed. For exam- Harrison estimates that about 200 scientists believe the draconian cuts won’t even fix NASA’s ple, the California Institute of Technology’s are planning to send petitions or protest letters larger budget problems. Gregory Junemann is Fiona Harrison had an Explorer mission that to NASA. Craig Wheeler, president-elect of the president of the International Federation of was about to enter its development phase American Astronomical Society, says the soci- Professional and Technical Engineers, NASA’s after two years of work. But in what Beich- ety will argue that NASA’s science projects largest union. “Devouring everything else at man calls an “egregious breakdown of the should share in the generous increases granted the agency, while holding out for some future process”, she learned during the press confer- to other research agencies for 2007. financial miracle, is irresponsible,” he says ■ ence that her NuSTAR X-ray astronomy But many space scientists are still just trying Tony Reichhardt Happier times: close ties bioethics professor at Boston ‘research misbehaviour’ is.” He between Gerald Schatten University School of Public Health adds that Science’s own review will (right) and Woo Suk in Massachusetts, is deeply look further into the legitimacy of Y.-J. AHN/AP Y.-J. Hwang raised the profile disappointed by the report, which Schatten’s senior authorship on the of the South Korean’s he calls “pathetic”. Signing off a 2005 paper. “I thought that he had cloning team. cover letter claiming all the authors been over there [to Hwang’s lab], approved of the manuscript was and that he was involved with clearly wrong, he says. He feels that experimental strategies,” he says. the race to clear high-profile Schatten has kept out of the research hurdles will always bring public eye since his break with the temptation to cut corners, and Hwang in November last year.