episode 01 · launch

Dr. Gretchen Goldman

science advocacy  ·  President & CEO, Union of Concerned Scientists

She fights to keep politics out of the lab. A conversation about what happens when the facts become inconvenient, and who pays when science is under attack.

premieres july 29, 2026

top takeaways

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The playbook: spotting manufactured doubt

Industry co-opts the language of science and weaponizes uncertainty. Her field test: is this person suddenly worried about uncertainty, and only in the direction that helps them? Do they benefit from the outcome? And is the claim in a peer-reviewed journal, or just the court of public opinion? When someone says "the science isn't settled," the follow-up is simply: says who?

Why attacks on science are attacks on democracy

Government scientists are a check on power, truth-tellers who make accountability possible. Dismantling scientific-integrity rules, firing inspectors general, and silencing scientists doesn't just hurt research, it removes the guardrails that keep power honest.

What it costs when evidence is ignored

The scientists keeping your food, air, water, and children's products safe mostly work unseen. When those systems weaken, the harm shows up downstream, and it lands first on the people with the least protection.

The real price of speaking up

The idea that defending science ends your career is a myth, her network of policy-engaged scientists is more than 20,000 strong. And speaking up scales to your comfort: an op-ed, a meeting with Congress, organizing locally, or simply answering the phone when a journalist calls.

her work

links to gretchen's organization, writing, and background

resources discussed

books, people, and initiatives Gretchen named in the conversation