In this urgent episode of Math! Science! History, Gabrielle Birchak exposes how the United States is dismantling its scientific foundation through lawsuits, defunding, censorship, and intimidation. From shuttered labs to banned books and silenced climate scientists, Gabrielle connects today’s attacks on knowledge to historical examples of authoritarian suppression—from Galileo’s house arrest to the German Reich’s university purges and Stalin’s pseudoscience.

This is more than a culture war; it’s a battle for truth itself. If science falls, society falters. History has shown us the red flags—will we recognize them before it’s too late?

Three key takeaways

Historical Warnings – How past regimes like Germany's Third Reich, Stalin’s Soviet Union, and Mao’s China crippled their own futures by silencing science.

Present-Day Threats – The U.S. government’s defunding of universities, dismantling of climate research, and politicization of curricula.

How to Act – Practical ways to defend truth, support at-risk scholars, protect data, and safeguard scientific integrity globally.

Resources & References

·         Scholars at Risk

·         IIE Scholar Rescue Fund

·         Union of Concerned Scientists

·         American Association for the Advancement of Science

·         Climate Mirror

·         Internet Archive

·         WHO Foundation

·         iNaturalist

🔗 Explore more on our website: mathsciencehistory.com 📚 To buy my book Hypatia: The Sum of Her Life on Amazon, visit https://a.co/d/g3OuP9h

 🌍 Let’s Connect! Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mathsciencehistory.bsky.social Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/math.science.history Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mathsciencehistory  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/math-science-history/  Threads: https://www.threads.com/@math.science.history  YouTube: Math! Science! History! - YouTube Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/mathsciencehistory  🎧 Enjoying the Podcast?

☕ Support the Show: Coffee!! PayPal

Leave a review! It helps more people discover the show! Share this episode with friends & fellow history buffs! Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform

Check out our merch: https://www.mathsciencehistory.com/the-store

Music: All music is public domain and has no Copyright and no rights reserved. Selections from The Little Prince by Lloyd Rodgers

🎵 Audio Editor: Podcast mixed by David Aviles

Sound Effect by Amy from Pixabay

MMM Ominous Music by Max from Pixabay

Radio static by Sound Effect by DRAGON-STUDIO from Pixabay

Fire swoosh Sound Effect by Krzysztof Szymanski from Pixabay

Keyboard sound by Sound Effect by Rinku from Pixabay

Power off sound Effect by DRAGON-STUDIO from Pixabay

Evil cyberpunk drones by Bertsz from Pixabay

Until next time, carpe diem!