Science Debate 2008...

...won't happen. But here's the next best thing.

For those who don't know, there was a push amongst the scientific community to hold a science-based debate between the two candidates. A petition was started by six people (one of whom, coincidentally, is Charles Darwin's great-grandson) to convince the candidates that the debate was important to a lot of people. 38,000 signatures later (including several Nobel Laureates), the petition was presented to McCain and Obama. And they both refused. It seems they were afraid it would be like a science test, not a discussion of policies.

So to alleviate their fears and get some kind of response from them, a list of 14 questions was sent to each candidate, and they were asked to submit written responses. This time, both candidates replied. You can check out their responses, side-by side, at the Sciencedebate 2008 website:

Sciencedebate 2008

I'll try to look through the responses more thoroughly, but just from skimming through, it seems each candidate's response can be summed up as "more funding." As a taxpayer, that disappoints me. As a scientist/future doctor, it's good to hear. So I'm torn. But check out the site if you're interested in either science or politics.