by Philipp Steger

Dear reader,

It’s a rare occasion, when science & technology capture the national interest for even a brief time. But it nevertheless happens, and it did so prominently for a moment during the presidential campaign, when stem cell research and the debate over using Nevada’s Yucca mountain as the final storage for America’s nuclear waste made national headlines. While it may not have been long and publicized enough to hold the attention of the general public for more than the fleeting moment the news ran across TV screens, it has struck a chord with the science & technology policy community. Major scientific journals such as “Science” found it noteworthy enough to expound on the phenomenon. The two candidates, writes “Science” in its current issue, “have sparred repeatedly over issues ranging from embryonic stem cell research to global warming.” In this edition of “bridges”, Jutta Kern and Johann Sattler follow the question of what role science & technology play in this presidential election.