6.3 What constitutes a scientific controversy?

Any new point of view that questions current concepts or overturns accepted dogma, theory or practice is a potential controversial story. Creationism and the origin of the universe are often subjects of controversy.

As scientists further our knowledge, they can cast doubt on devices and applications based on previous understanding, and this can become controversial. For instance, genetic modification (GM), hailed as a tool to grow better crops, became a hot issue after the report in Nature on the death of monarch butterfly larvae fed on GM corn. [ http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v399/n6733/pdf/399214a0.pdf ]

Publicly funded projects based on flawed science or unsure technologies are topics for controversial stories. Examples include dumping iron in the ocean to create a sink for carbon dioxide [ http://www.scidev.net/en/news/iron-fertilisation-has-small-impact-on-climate-ch.html ] and India's "Sethusamudram" project, which involves dredging the sea between India and Sri Lanka to create a shipping lane. [ http://www.scidev.net/Opinions/index.cfm?fuseaction=readOpinions&itemid=678&language=1 ]

Statements and observations by scientists of repute can spawn a controversy. For instance, Nobel laureate James Watson's recent comments that black people are less intelligent and than whites triggered a controversy leading to his resignation from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. (See later in this lesson how this controversy was reported).

Science controversies need not concern only science - they are usually multi-dimensional with ramifications in politics or religion. The core of the climate change issue is atmospheric science but actors in this controversy are politicians, industry and ordinary people. The controversy over India's proposed nuclear deal with the United States is another example of controversy that transcends one discipline. [ http://www.hindu.com/nic/123agreement.pdf ]


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