Late in the 19th century, Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) said, “History doesn’t repeat itself but it often rhymes.” If he were alive today, he would probably say that President Donald Trump’s efforts to curtail science are beginning another rhyme.

Beginning in the 6th century BC, ancient Greek and Roman philosophers used science to make sense of the world. These philosophers used what is now commonly referred to as the scientific method, by starting with a question and following it with observation, research, and measurement. They often repeated this process as new evidence was identified.

“On the Nature of Things,” by the early Roman philosopher Lucretius, called for an understanding of the natural world based on observable phenomena rather than divine intervention or religious fear, sugge

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