Blue Streak Science Podcast

This week the people of the United Kingdom will be making an enormously important choice. The result of the "Brexit" vote will profoundly affect the lives of Britons for decades.  To leave or not to leave? That is the question. Last week in the closing I mentioned that “science is a team sport”. Some of the most valuable and productive collaborations are the ones that cross borders. The UK now produce 62% of its scientific output as international collaborations, and that proportion is growing rapidly. The EU has facilitated those collaborations for decades making the European Union the science powerhouse of the world. No, it’s not the United States. The EU has 34% more scientific output than the United States, and they’re increasing that lead year after year. So let’s be clear, if the UK vote to leave there will be consequences. The UK will lose its currently prominent, even dominant role on forming science policy in the EU.   Scientific discovery drives industry and health care. If the UK leaves then they’l