accord to a canvass of 50 Nobel laureates – the world ’s leading figures in scientific discipline in their orbit – the biggest menace face the world today admit environmental issues , the terror of atomic war , and leaders like Donald Trump .
Political polarization , the rise in populism , ignorance in world leaders , distortion of the trueness , and boost mistrust among multitude , their leaders , and the media are considered dangerous enough to be featured on a list that includes clime change , population increment , and infective diseases .
The study was conducted byTime Higher Education , the eubstance that arrange together the world university rankings , ahead of its World Academic Summit held in London this week . They surveyed 50 of the creation ’s Nobel trophy winner for skill , medication , and economics – that ’s one in five of the keep laureate – on their views on a range of topics , from university funding to the biggest threat face human beings today .
Unsurprisingly , more than a third ( 34 percent ) say environmental issues such as environmental debasement and population increase were the biggest threat . Nuclear warfare was next , as advise by 23 pct of the laureates , abide by by infective disease / drug resistance , and selfishness / dishonesty / personnel casualty of human beings .
Next up on the lean is illiterate loss leader / distortion of accuracy , which is above stilted intelligence ( AI ) , inequality , drugs , Facebook , and fundamentalism / terrorism .
Asked about how New science is being affected by the rise in populism in politics and the current political polarization happening on both sides of the Atlantic , 70 percent of the Nobel Prize winners consider it a " tomb " or " serious " menace .
“ Today , facts seem to be questioned by many people who favor to believe rumours rather than well - establish scientific facts,”saidJean - Pierre Sauvage , who share theNobel Prize in Chemistryin 2016 .
Many in reality name - checked Donald Trump in mention to populist leader choosing to ignore evidence supply by the scientific community and advisedly distorting the truth to lead astray people .
Peter Agre , the music director of Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute and 2003 winner of the Chemistry Prize , called Mr Trump “ extraordinarily uninformed and high-risk - natured ” andlikened himto a “ Batman villain … wicked and selfish ” .
They fear that the trend for anti - intellectualism , coupled with the threat to international mobility for researchers – both in term of the Trump governance ’s attitudes to perimeter restraint and the UK ’s Brexit talks – may affect scientific discipline funding and the ability to enroll and employ the best scientific talent around the world .
“ It is only by share ideas from great minds and institutions [ in this way ] that you may desire to make the fastest onward motion on advancing noesis , ” enounce Brian Schmidt , the 2011 Nobel Prize winner for physics .
On the other hand , 74 percent of the laureates do n’t think we need to venerate our automaton overlords just yet , as they do n’t believe AI or robotics will really ensue in the need for few humans , or scientists at least .
