Science Friday A Science Historian Tackles Ghostwriting In Scientific Papers
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Jan 29, 2026 
Naomi Oreskes, historian of science and Harvard professor known for work on scientific skepticism and climate history, joins to weigh whether today’s attacks on science are truly new. She discusses how political power and corporate interests have long shaped mistrust. They dig into ghostwriting scandals, vaccine skepticism tied to political agendas, and why public funding matters.
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Industry Opposition Drives Anti-Science Campaigns
- Economic interests fuel organized attacks on inconvenient science, as seen with acid rain and climate change.
- Oreskes connects industry opposition to attempts to protect profits and avoid regulation.
Deliberate Politicization Of Science Is Historic
- Science has never been wholly apolitical, but deliberate politicization escalated under recent administrations.
- Oreskes traces a coordinated effort to mobilize distrust of science for political ends since the Reagan era.
Public Trust In Science Is Still High
- Despite high-profile controversies, public trust in science remains relatively strong.
- Pew polls show roughly 70% of Americans broadly trust science and scientific institutions.