How should one translate “evidence” in Italian? – by Fabio Turone

Italian science hit the headlines worldwide in these days for two unrelated issues that both show how hard it is for Italian scientists to compete internationally, given the context.

One can be considered good news, at least in a way, while the other is definitely horrible news: because of totally irrational fears, the valuable work of a group of scientists experimenting with transgenic olive trees, cherry trees and kiwifruit vines – “one of the longest-running GM trials in Europe” according to Nature – that had been funded with public money since 1982 was destroyed after a group called Genetic Rights Foundation (GRF) obtained a court order (See the article by Nature).

A last minute pertition obtained more than 900 signatures of scientists but wasn’t sufficient to obtain a delay from the authorities, and the plants were removed and destroyed.

In the very same days another petition – signed by around 1.000 scientists – obtained the halt for a very controversial research on so called “piezonuclear fission”, that was basically hi-jacking all the funding of a well respected scientific institution specialised in totally different research, the National Institute of Metrological Research (INRIM). A group of Italian researchers who claim of having observed these reactions – hailed as a potential source of energy – published a study in 2009 that was never replicated by anyone, but their research was being funded mostly due to political “handles”.

Now the Minister for Research reacted to the petition and told Science he agrees with the subscribers that not only the Metrological Institute has a “different mission” from piezonuclear research, but any request for public funding will have to pass peer-review first.

Better late than never, one may say.

Apart from the petitions, the two stories highlight a widespread deficit of scientific culture in the Italian population (including justices, who continue to assign compensations to the families of autistic children as if it were caused by the compulsory vaccination, just to give another example), that together with the “Italian way to the spoils system” has caused serious – and at times irreparable – damage in recent years.