Weaving Data and Community
There are big, open questions about the changing relationship between science and society: How should the public fund science, and what kind of science should it fund? What should society expect in return for its support? What is the role of research universities in the scientific ecosystem? And the relationship between science and society looks very different at the local, or even personal, level—and the questions are different too: How can research improve the quality of life in my community? Should I be worried about the refinery in my neighborhood? Is my town able to assist the most vulnerable when the power goes out during a storm? The essays in the Spring 2026 Issues explore all these questions to better understand how the social contract with science is evolving.
Editor's Journal
Mohole Moments
Read MoreA “mohole moment” is when an investment in science goes disastrously wrong, providing a focal point for distrust and funding cuts. Such moments reveal the tacit premise of science’s social contract—both what the agreement is and what counts as a breach.
Gallery
The International Geophysical Year
Perspectives
A New Science Diplomacy in Latin America Embeds Knowledge in Public Institutions
Coming Soon
A Vision for America’s Next Era in Space
Read MoreMaintaining the United States’ leadership in space requires discipline, continuity, and a clear division of responsibilities between government and industry.
Merton Redux: Re-Confronting the Norms of Science in Democracy
Coming Soon
Interview
“The Key Lever for Increasing the Productivity of our Workforce Is Learning.”
Poetry
Our Gilled Forebear
Coming Soon
Gallery
The Art of Building Community
Real Numbers
Who Will Keep Research Data Infrastructure Open and Running?
Coming Soon
Features
Spam Policy and the Myth of the Ungovernable Internet
Read MoreThe story of feckless efforts to address spam in the early 2000s offers a cautionary tale for attempts to regulate artificial intelligence today.
When Sixth Graders Study Neuroscience
Coming Soon
The Future of Public Data Lies in the States, But It’s Complicated
Coming Soon
What Do We Want From AI?
Coming Soon
Constructing a New Knowledge Infrastructure
Read MoreAn environmental knowledge commons could support evidence-based policymaking, but it will require long-term coordination across the many communities monitoring pollution and local conditions.
We Created a Survey to Measure Community Well-Being and Activated a “Messy Middle”
Read MoreHow a Wisconsin county realized that systems change requires shared sensemaking as much as innovative metrics.
Charting a Course for AI in Science
Coming Soon
A Science Funding System Beyond the Linear Model
Read MoreTo improve the relationship between science and the public, funders should embrace a new ontology of scientific work that aligns incentives with society’s goals.
Reauthorizing the Small Business Innovation Research Program Isn’t Enough
Read MoreReforms to America’s seed fund should be a catalyst for policies that help more small businesses bring new technologies to market.
How the American Research University Survives
Read MoreDespite their focus on institutional research excellence, US research universities are well down a path of eroding public value and research prowess. University leadership needs to shift attention from chasing prestige to crafting strategies for long-term success.
Building Pluralistic Intelligence Into the American Research University
Read MoreTo respond to challenges in society, sustainability, and governance, universities must first deal with the mismatch between how knowledge is actually generated and what academia recognizes and teaches.
Book Reviews
Same Storm, Different Boats
Read MoreAdam Briggle examines how disasters can disproportionately affect vulnerable people in his review of Angela Frederick’s Disabled Power.
Dinomania
Coming Soon
Roving the Prairies
Read MoreCharles N. Herrick navigates the science and art of American grassland restoration in his review of George Frazier’s Riverine Dream.