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Science Under Siege: How to Fight the Five Most Powerful Forces that Threaten Our World
Not yet published
Expected 9 Sep 25Two of the world’s most respected scientists reveal the forces behind the dangerous anti-science movement—and show us how to fight back
From pandemics to the climate crisis, humanity faces tougher challenges than ever. Whether it’s the health of our people or the health of our planet, we know we are on an unsustainable path. But our efforts to effectively tackle these existential crises are now hampered by a common politically and ideologically motivated opposition to science.
Michael E. Mann and Peter J. Hotez are two of the most respected and well-known scientists in the world and have spent the last twenty years on the front lines of the battle to convey accurate, reliable, and trustworthy information about science in the face of determined and nihilistic opposition.
In this powerful manifesto, they reveal the five main forces threatening plutocrats, pros, petrostates, phonies, and the press. It is a call to arms and a road map for dismantling the forces of anti-science. Armed with the information in this book, we can be empowered to promote scientific truths, shine light on channels of dark money, dismantle the corporations poisoning the planet, and ultimately avert disaster.
From pandemics to the climate crisis, humanity faces tougher challenges than ever. Whether it’s the health of our people or the health of our planet, we know we are on an unsustainable path. But our efforts to effectively tackle these existential crises are now hampered by a common politically and ideologically motivated opposition to science.
Michael E. Mann and Peter J. Hotez are two of the most respected and well-known scientists in the world and have spent the last twenty years on the front lines of the battle to convey accurate, reliable, and trustworthy information about science in the face of determined and nihilistic opposition.
In this powerful manifesto, they reveal the five main forces threatening plutocrats, pros, petrostates, phonies, and the press. It is a call to arms and a road map for dismantling the forces of anti-science. Armed with the information in this book, we can be empowered to promote scientific truths, shine light on channels of dark money, dismantle the corporations poisoning the planet, and ultimately avert disaster.
368 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication September 9, 2025
129 people want to read
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September 2, 2025
Review of ‘Science Under Siege: How to Fight the Five Most Powerful Forces that Threaten Our World’ by Michael Mann and Peter Hotez
When two world-class science heavyweights take the time to warn us about scientific endeavour being under attack by bad actors, it is incumbent upon us to listen. Doctors Michael Mann and Peter Hotez have spent much of their professional life being targeted by the political and ideological opposition to science at enormous personal cost and this book serves as a both a warning and a call to arms to recognise and fight against the orchestrated disinformation efforts of those who would focus on short- term profits over the threats to human life. In this very timely book, the authors identify the five forces that fuel this antiscience narrative. “In Science Under Siege we seek to provide a succinct yet detailed delineation of the five forces behind the modern-day antiscience movement (the five p’s, we’ll call them- the plutocrats, the petrostates, the pros, the propagandists, and our press).”
The authors stress that it is vital that these forces are recognised for what they are and that we do not allow them to fan the flames of division, especially at a time when our way of life is threatened by the twin crises of global pandemics and the climate crisis.
“The future of humankind and the health of our planet now depend on surmounting the dark forces of antiscience.” The disinformation tactics of attempting to isolate an individual scientist to discredit them can be seen as an attempt to quell the pursuit of science among younger generations, who then see science as a career where you are derided and reviled, rather than the industry of respect that it was in the latter part of the 20th century. Indeed, the authors go further here, and note the silence from the scientific community when one of them comes under repeated and targeted attack. The silence of friends- fearful of their own career reputation, or personal attack, can be a useful tool to isolate and ‘gag’ scientists.
“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” So far, the silence has- in some instances, been deafening.”
Mann and Hotez argue that, “Mistrust in science is now escalating in certain demographics because of a targeted campaign against us- antiscience predation for someone else’s financial or political gain.” Instead of being seen as a significant social wedge issue, the attack on science to seed and sow state-sponsored disinformation, becomes a means of destabilising democratic societies around the world.
Mann and Hotez remind their readers that the fossil-fuel industry has been well aware of the dangers of the climate threat for almost 50 years and highlight that the delaying obstacles and challenges to government action are not physical or technological- but rather that they are entirely political. The ideological motivated efforts to deny the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic more recently follow this same pattern of political division and delay- sadly with human lives hanging in the balance.
“Meanwhile, the world’s largest fossil-fuel companies already understood the climate threat. In an internal report from 1982 that was eventually leaked into the public domain, ExxonMobil’s own scientists accurately predicted the increase in CO₂ concentrations and warming that would occur today in the absence of efforts to curtail fossil-fuel burning.”
Mann and Hotez make the repeated argument that we do not have to be passive receivers of this well-funded campaign of antiscience, but that by ‘knowing our enemy’, we can become armed into neutralising this threat and that metaphorically, sunlight can be the best disinfectant to this highly organised dangerous ideology.
“While there is urgency- unlike any we’ve ever known- there is still agency. We can still avert disaster if we can understand the nature of the mounting antiscience threat and formulate a strategy to counter it.”
A Candle in the Dark
“Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”- Albus Dumbledore.
The authors then begin to turn the spotlight onto each of the 5 ‘ps’ in turn, those oftentimes defenders of the powerful special interests and political agendas which actively promote anti-science as their repeated mantra for their own culture wars. They begin with the plutocrats, where power is held and controlled by a small minority of high-net-worth individuals and name them as malevolent players. Names which are familiar to us, such as the Koch family, Rupert Murdoch, Zuckerberg, Musk and Bill Gates. The point is made that “Today’s malevolent plutocrats frequently operate through a complicated web of entities as they wage war against science and scientists” and note that this ‘dark money’ can be difficult to follow and its users are protected by accountability. The impact of the Koch family casts a long shadow. “Koch Industries is the world’s largest privately held fossil-fuel company, with an obvious financial interest in fossil fuels.” The importance of funding for the disinformation campaign has led to bad actors appearing ‘untouchable’ and appearing to have a disproportionate amount of power.
“Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, the tech bro of tech bros and cryptobro of cryptobros, has become a leading spreader of disinformation writ large.” As a result of the distractions and delay caused by these plutocrats, the necessary government action has effectively been nullified. When Musk bought Twitter, he then “converted Twitter into a forum for far-right extremism…which in turn, led to “[t]he evaporation of science from platforms like Twitter launched an exodus of science from the public conversation.” When there is a vacuum of communication, with scientists forced out by trolls and bot armies, only one narrative remains powerful, which sets humanity back decades. Very recently, we have seen the return of some climate scientists to this platform- scientists unwilling to yield large amounts of online space to bad actors for free. This might be the start of a reclamation of the space by the science community, which would be welcome, as it has left those remaining active voices very marginalised.
Who is standing up for science?
In the fight to discredit accurate and robust science communication, plutocrats can merge with another ‘p group’- that of the petrostate. “Petrostates are often run by dictators, plutocrats, and oligarchs who acquire political or economic power (often without accountability) through the wealth they derive from extractive industries.” Some petrostates are more well known than others, but there are commonalities- one of which is to choose not to lead on any concerted global action on climate, but to remain firmly in delaying action for as long as possible. Mann and Hotez understandably focus on events in the United States and ‘the American petrostate’ and are persuasive in their arguments that politics is not only divisive- it is deadly. “There is unquestionably, a coordinated, concerted attack on science by today’s Republican Party- the American petrostate, if you will- with climate and biomedicine as focal points of the assault.” There has been a long game strategy played by the fossil-fuel industry, to slowly move their policy makers into position, even if this takes years and decades- but now they are in place. “During the 1990s the fossil-fuel industry began to invest heavily in conservative policy groups, think tanks, and front groups advocating policies friendly to the fossil-fuel industry. Meanwhile, they funded conservative climate-denying politicians, most of who were from oil states.”
With President Trump’s second term as President, the attack on science has become more vitriolic and dangerous on a global scale. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has faced significant cuts, seen by many to be a malicious attack on climate science and climate partnership with other leading organisations. More recently, the Department of Energy published a report claiming scientific concern about the climate crisis is overblown and exaggerated. A hand-picked team of science contrarians were selected for this report, which was viewed as an attempt to replace legitimate science with pseudoscience and has been fact checked for misinformation. The respectable Carbon Brief organisation, counted more than 100 false or misleading scientific claims contained within this report. In the authors’ minds then, it is clear that this is just the latest in the concerted attack on science.“There is unquestionably, a coordinated, concerted attack on science by today’s Republican Party- the American petrostate, if you will- with climate and biomedicine as focal points of the assault.”
The authors powerfully argue that the end result is to halt science progress in the United States and then by extension, hold back meaningful global action on climate- at the least, disrupt any action. This chapter ends, and indeed this argument ends, by ‘calling out’ the political attack on science.
“The fact that antiscience has been embraced so fully by one of the two major parties in the United States is grave cause for concern.”
Pros and propagandists
Mann and Hotez next focus on the twins of ‘pros’ and ‘propagandists’- figures with huge social media presence who regularly appear as ‘experts’ on media platforms touting for the fossil-fuel industry. “Pros include individuals with scientific credentials who have been financially lured by polluters and plutocrats and weaponized into a force to attack mainstream science and scientists. There are also the paid propagandists with no scientific credentials but plenty of media savvy and access to wide platforms.” These players are linked to the science-denial machine and appear to be free from the same funding scrutiny that is applied by them to the science community and to science communicators. Dissemination of misinformation now reaches tens of millions of people, through the power of social media, with platforms taking little to no responsibility for the toxic content of propagandists. “The propagandists now benefit from the extraordinary amplifying power of social media, including a Musk-weaponized Twitter, disinformation podcasts with huge reaches, and now most recently, AI. Slowing or stopping them is a complicated endeavor that requires disrupting their weapon of choice, antisocial media and other high-visibility disinformation-promoting vehicles.”
However, Mann and Hotez highlight that the playbook of antiscience has shifted now that the impact of climate change has become too obvious to deny outright. “Climate denial is untenable today with the vast majority of our population because they are witnessing profound impacts already playing out…They have instead largely turned to other tactics- delay, deflection, division, and so forth.” The resurgent weapon of choice is now the use of conspiracy theories. Conspiracy theories run rampant and there is an overlapping Venn diagram of anti-vaccine posters and anti-climate science posts online, which are amplified disproportionately to create the impression that they are the majority. This would come to no surprise to the average online user- even sheltered in their own echo chambers. Online trolls and misinformation impacts all of us and with algorithms constantly pushing targeted material onto us all, it can be difficult to take the time to sift through the overwhelming quantity of media information.
The partisan press?
There has been a manufactured campaign against the media, with partisan media groups gaining access and those promoting science being sidelined, especially by US politicians, with President Trump famously demonising news outlets as being ‘fake news’. We are all aware that press outlets will cater to their target audience and that how the public consumes their news is very different from a world of even 20 years ago. Capturing attention and holding the attention of the public has become the sensationalised strategy, rather than a ‘golden age’ quest for truth. The press undoubtedly have a part to play in good science communication, though as an industry, they appear to be excoriated by Mann and Hotez. “The press, as we have already seen, has engaged in widespread attacks on both science and scientists. Beyond the usual suspects- Fox News, the rest of the Murdoch media empire and other conservative media- even mainstream outlets like the New York Times have in recent years miscommunicated the science behind climate change and COVID.” They argue that creating the false equivalence between robust science and conspiracy theories and allowing “bothsideism” has built the illusion of equal weight to competing arguments. They are clear that there are some networks which act deliberately to attack science, while others can sometimes act unwittingly to create ‘doomist narratives’ that misrepresent the science, whether this is regarding the climate or global pandemics. The concern of the authors is that the framing of science stories can lead to the support and promotion of untested technological ‘silver bullets’, most of which allow for ‘business as usual’ for the fossil- fuel industry. “How doomist framing has led to support for potentially dangerous geoengineering schemes as desperation measures.”
“Fellowship of the Planet”
Mann and Hotez then lay out their ‘battle plan’ to push back against the tide of antiscience, arguing, “We need to restore the rightful role of science in our political and societal discourse if we are to maintain the capacity to address the major challenges we face, including the climate crisis and worsening pandemics.”
They acknowledge that ‘the hour is late’ for a new found faith in science, but argue that as we can see the actions of the ‘antiscience industry’ in delaying meaningful action, are we just going to allow them to destroy our way of life without putting up a fight? “We wish that humanity had followed a more enlightened path decades ago when the climate crisis had clearly emerged, or back in 2020 when we were given a golden opportunity to implement pandemic policies- guided by the best available science- to ensure the health of both our species and our planet.”
Mann and Hotez urge that by: communicating constructively; defeating disinformation; and supporting scientists, we can be led in our actions, not by partisan politics, but by the best scientific understanding at this given point.
Mann and Hotez close their book by referring to the powerful story and imagery of “The Lord of the Rings”. They connect with the repeated analogy of the industrial fossil-fuel furnace rooms of Sauron and Saruman, and offer the stark warning that if we don't act, then we risk losing ‘The Shire’. [I]f humanity fails to combat the great global crises we face today, there won’t be an Earth- at least not the one we’d recognize. Yes, there will still be a large spherical planet rotating around the sun. There will be life, but we will lose the welcoming planetary home we know today, with its rich forests and oceans and ecosystems teeming with diverse, interconnected life forms.”
Science disinformation is a plague which threatens to destabilise us all. We must make a stand, to push forwards. To say that we will take the first step against the forces of disinformation, even if we ‘do not know the way’, and even if we do not know how that story finishes. We know the ending of the story if the fossil-fuel industry and anti-pandemic responses continue their stranglehold on science education, policy and action. We don't know the ending if we fight for a pro- science tipping point, but we do know that if the fossil- fuel industry and agents of geoengineering miracles come for us, then we must be doing something right.
“We fight for a livable planet, for us, our children, and future generations. Because it’s worth fighting for.”
When two world-class science heavyweights take the time to warn us about scientific endeavour being under attack by bad actors, it is incumbent upon us to listen. Doctors Michael Mann and Peter Hotez have spent much of their professional life being targeted by the political and ideological opposition to science at enormous personal cost and this book serves as a both a warning and a call to arms to recognise and fight against the orchestrated disinformation efforts of those who would focus on short- term profits over the threats to human life. In this very timely book, the authors identify the five forces that fuel this antiscience narrative. “In Science Under Siege we seek to provide a succinct yet detailed delineation of the five forces behind the modern-day antiscience movement (the five p’s, we’ll call them- the plutocrats, the petrostates, the pros, the propagandists, and our press).”
The authors stress that it is vital that these forces are recognised for what they are and that we do not allow them to fan the flames of division, especially at a time when our way of life is threatened by the twin crises of global pandemics and the climate crisis.
“The future of humankind and the health of our planet now depend on surmounting the dark forces of antiscience.” The disinformation tactics of attempting to isolate an individual scientist to discredit them can be seen as an attempt to quell the pursuit of science among younger generations, who then see science as a career where you are derided and reviled, rather than the industry of respect that it was in the latter part of the 20th century. Indeed, the authors go further here, and note the silence from the scientific community when one of them comes under repeated and targeted attack. The silence of friends- fearful of their own career reputation, or personal attack, can be a useful tool to isolate and ‘gag’ scientists.
“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” So far, the silence has- in some instances, been deafening.”
Mann and Hotez argue that, “Mistrust in science is now escalating in certain demographics because of a targeted campaign against us- antiscience predation for someone else’s financial or political gain.” Instead of being seen as a significant social wedge issue, the attack on science to seed and sow state-sponsored disinformation, becomes a means of destabilising democratic societies around the world.
Mann and Hotez remind their readers that the fossil-fuel industry has been well aware of the dangers of the climate threat for almost 50 years and highlight that the delaying obstacles and challenges to government action are not physical or technological- but rather that they are entirely political. The ideological motivated efforts to deny the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic more recently follow this same pattern of political division and delay- sadly with human lives hanging in the balance.
“Meanwhile, the world’s largest fossil-fuel companies already understood the climate threat. In an internal report from 1982 that was eventually leaked into the public domain, ExxonMobil’s own scientists accurately predicted the increase in CO₂ concentrations and warming that would occur today in the absence of efforts to curtail fossil-fuel burning.”
Mann and Hotez make the repeated argument that we do not have to be passive receivers of this well-funded campaign of antiscience, but that by ‘knowing our enemy’, we can become armed into neutralising this threat and that metaphorically, sunlight can be the best disinfectant to this highly organised dangerous ideology.
“While there is urgency- unlike any we’ve ever known- there is still agency. We can still avert disaster if we can understand the nature of the mounting antiscience threat and formulate a strategy to counter it.”
A Candle in the Dark
“Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”- Albus Dumbledore.
The authors then begin to turn the spotlight onto each of the 5 ‘ps’ in turn, those oftentimes defenders of the powerful special interests and political agendas which actively promote anti-science as their repeated mantra for their own culture wars. They begin with the plutocrats, where power is held and controlled by a small minority of high-net-worth individuals and name them as malevolent players. Names which are familiar to us, such as the Koch family, Rupert Murdoch, Zuckerberg, Musk and Bill Gates. The point is made that “Today’s malevolent plutocrats frequently operate through a complicated web of entities as they wage war against science and scientists” and note that this ‘dark money’ can be difficult to follow and its users are protected by accountability. The impact of the Koch family casts a long shadow. “Koch Industries is the world’s largest privately held fossil-fuel company, with an obvious financial interest in fossil fuels.” The importance of funding for the disinformation campaign has led to bad actors appearing ‘untouchable’ and appearing to have a disproportionate amount of power.
“Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, the tech bro of tech bros and cryptobro of cryptobros, has become a leading spreader of disinformation writ large.” As a result of the distractions and delay caused by these plutocrats, the necessary government action has effectively been nullified. When Musk bought Twitter, he then “converted Twitter into a forum for far-right extremism…which in turn, led to “[t]he evaporation of science from platforms like Twitter launched an exodus of science from the public conversation.” When there is a vacuum of communication, with scientists forced out by trolls and bot armies, only one narrative remains powerful, which sets humanity back decades. Very recently, we have seen the return of some climate scientists to this platform- scientists unwilling to yield large amounts of online space to bad actors for free. This might be the start of a reclamation of the space by the science community, which would be welcome, as it has left those remaining active voices very marginalised.
Who is standing up for science?
In the fight to discredit accurate and robust science communication, plutocrats can merge with another ‘p group’- that of the petrostate. “Petrostates are often run by dictators, plutocrats, and oligarchs who acquire political or economic power (often without accountability) through the wealth they derive from extractive industries.” Some petrostates are more well known than others, but there are commonalities- one of which is to choose not to lead on any concerted global action on climate, but to remain firmly in delaying action for as long as possible. Mann and Hotez understandably focus on events in the United States and ‘the American petrostate’ and are persuasive in their arguments that politics is not only divisive- it is deadly. “There is unquestionably, a coordinated, concerted attack on science by today’s Republican Party- the American petrostate, if you will- with climate and biomedicine as focal points of the assault.” There has been a long game strategy played by the fossil-fuel industry, to slowly move their policy makers into position, even if this takes years and decades- but now they are in place. “During the 1990s the fossil-fuel industry began to invest heavily in conservative policy groups, think tanks, and front groups advocating policies friendly to the fossil-fuel industry. Meanwhile, they funded conservative climate-denying politicians, most of who were from oil states.”
With President Trump’s second term as President, the attack on science has become more vitriolic and dangerous on a global scale. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has faced significant cuts, seen by many to be a malicious attack on climate science and climate partnership with other leading organisations. More recently, the Department of Energy published a report claiming scientific concern about the climate crisis is overblown and exaggerated. A hand-picked team of science contrarians were selected for this report, which was viewed as an attempt to replace legitimate science with pseudoscience and has been fact checked for misinformation. The respectable Carbon Brief organisation, counted more than 100 false or misleading scientific claims contained within this report. In the authors’ minds then, it is clear that this is just the latest in the concerted attack on science.“There is unquestionably, a coordinated, concerted attack on science by today’s Republican Party- the American petrostate, if you will- with climate and biomedicine as focal points of the assault.”
The authors powerfully argue that the end result is to halt science progress in the United States and then by extension, hold back meaningful global action on climate- at the least, disrupt any action. This chapter ends, and indeed this argument ends, by ‘calling out’ the political attack on science.
“The fact that antiscience has been embraced so fully by one of the two major parties in the United States is grave cause for concern.”
Pros and propagandists
Mann and Hotez next focus on the twins of ‘pros’ and ‘propagandists’- figures with huge social media presence who regularly appear as ‘experts’ on media platforms touting for the fossil-fuel industry. “Pros include individuals with scientific credentials who have been financially lured by polluters and plutocrats and weaponized into a force to attack mainstream science and scientists. There are also the paid propagandists with no scientific credentials but plenty of media savvy and access to wide platforms.” These players are linked to the science-denial machine and appear to be free from the same funding scrutiny that is applied by them to the science community and to science communicators. Dissemination of misinformation now reaches tens of millions of people, through the power of social media, with platforms taking little to no responsibility for the toxic content of propagandists. “The propagandists now benefit from the extraordinary amplifying power of social media, including a Musk-weaponized Twitter, disinformation podcasts with huge reaches, and now most recently, AI. Slowing or stopping them is a complicated endeavor that requires disrupting their weapon of choice, antisocial media and other high-visibility disinformation-promoting vehicles.”
However, Mann and Hotez highlight that the playbook of antiscience has shifted now that the impact of climate change has become too obvious to deny outright. “Climate denial is untenable today with the vast majority of our population because they are witnessing profound impacts already playing out…They have instead largely turned to other tactics- delay, deflection, division, and so forth.” The resurgent weapon of choice is now the use of conspiracy theories. Conspiracy theories run rampant and there is an overlapping Venn diagram of anti-vaccine posters and anti-climate science posts online, which are amplified disproportionately to create the impression that they are the majority. This would come to no surprise to the average online user- even sheltered in their own echo chambers. Online trolls and misinformation impacts all of us and with algorithms constantly pushing targeted material onto us all, it can be difficult to take the time to sift through the overwhelming quantity of media information.
The partisan press?
There has been a manufactured campaign against the media, with partisan media groups gaining access and those promoting science being sidelined, especially by US politicians, with President Trump famously demonising news outlets as being ‘fake news’. We are all aware that press outlets will cater to their target audience and that how the public consumes their news is very different from a world of even 20 years ago. Capturing attention and holding the attention of the public has become the sensationalised strategy, rather than a ‘golden age’ quest for truth. The press undoubtedly have a part to play in good science communication, though as an industry, they appear to be excoriated by Mann and Hotez. “The press, as we have already seen, has engaged in widespread attacks on both science and scientists. Beyond the usual suspects- Fox News, the rest of the Murdoch media empire and other conservative media- even mainstream outlets like the New York Times have in recent years miscommunicated the science behind climate change and COVID.” They argue that creating the false equivalence between robust science and conspiracy theories and allowing “bothsideism” has built the illusion of equal weight to competing arguments. They are clear that there are some networks which act deliberately to attack science, while others can sometimes act unwittingly to create ‘doomist narratives’ that misrepresent the science, whether this is regarding the climate or global pandemics. The concern of the authors is that the framing of science stories can lead to the support and promotion of untested technological ‘silver bullets’, most of which allow for ‘business as usual’ for the fossil- fuel industry. “How doomist framing has led to support for potentially dangerous geoengineering schemes as desperation measures.”
“Fellowship of the Planet”
Mann and Hotez then lay out their ‘battle plan’ to push back against the tide of antiscience, arguing, “We need to restore the rightful role of science in our political and societal discourse if we are to maintain the capacity to address the major challenges we face, including the climate crisis and worsening pandemics.”
They acknowledge that ‘the hour is late’ for a new found faith in science, but argue that as we can see the actions of the ‘antiscience industry’ in delaying meaningful action, are we just going to allow them to destroy our way of life without putting up a fight? “We wish that humanity had followed a more enlightened path decades ago when the climate crisis had clearly emerged, or back in 2020 when we were given a golden opportunity to implement pandemic policies- guided by the best available science- to ensure the health of both our species and our planet.”
Mann and Hotez urge that by: communicating constructively; defeating disinformation; and supporting scientists, we can be led in our actions, not by partisan politics, but by the best scientific understanding at this given point.
Mann and Hotez close their book by referring to the powerful story and imagery of “The Lord of the Rings”. They connect with the repeated analogy of the industrial fossil-fuel furnace rooms of Sauron and Saruman, and offer the stark warning that if we don't act, then we risk losing ‘The Shire’. [I]f humanity fails to combat the great global crises we face today, there won’t be an Earth- at least not the one we’d recognize. Yes, there will still be a large spherical planet rotating around the sun. There will be life, but we will lose the welcoming planetary home we know today, with its rich forests and oceans and ecosystems teeming with diverse, interconnected life forms.”
Science disinformation is a plague which threatens to destabilise us all. We must make a stand, to push forwards. To say that we will take the first step against the forces of disinformation, even if we ‘do not know the way’, and even if we do not know how that story finishes. We know the ending of the story if the fossil-fuel industry and anti-pandemic responses continue their stranglehold on science education, policy and action. We don't know the ending if we fight for a pro- science tipping point, but we do know that if the fossil- fuel industry and agents of geoengineering miracles come for us, then we must be doing something right.
“We fight for a livable planet, for us, our children, and future generations. Because it’s worth fighting for.”
September 2, 2025
An Essential, Important Book on the War Against Science in The United States
Much to their credit, two noted scientists, climatologist Michael Mann and pediatrician - and vaccine inventor - Peter Hotez, have written one of the most important books of our time, "Science Under Siege: How to Fight the Five Most Powerful Forces That Threaten Our World". A book that deserves wide readership, especially from those who are fellow Republicans, who fail to understand the ongoing war against science being done by the Trump administration and its supporters within the MAGA/MAHA movement led by those, like Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who have consistently failed to accept valid, mainstream science for years. It is an important primer on science denialism, drawn upon the personal experiences of the authors, that should be read and followed by many, especially those who may be skeptical of what both have written. A book that should be as well regarded as Naomi Oreskes and Erik Conway's 'The Merchants of Doubt", and one just as important, worthy of comparison not only with their exceptional book, but, more recently with David Lipsky's masterful overview of the history of climate change denialism, "The Parrot and The Igloo".
Both eminent scientists are from similar backgrounds, descended from Jewish immigrants who emigrated to the United States many years ago. What is especially troubling reading "Science Under Siege" is noting how both have fallen victim to antisemitic attacks upon themselves and their families, with those attacking them seeking to cast doubt on their superlative scientific and medical research - in Hotez's case - due to their Jewish heritage. This is uneasily similar to attacks upon "Jewish science" that were waged by antisemites not only in Germany, but also in Russia, during the 20th Century. Especially worrisome is the evidence they present in this book which shows ties between anti-science groups and those that are antisemitic. This especially disturbing trend is one that many may have failed to realize was occurring in the democratic republic that is the United States, welcoming for decades many diverse ethnicities and religious faiths from across the globe.
Mann and Hotez identify five major reasons - "the powerful forces" - which have nurtured and sustained anti-science advocates and organizations, not only here in the United States, but elsewhere across the globe, devoting separate chapters for each of them; the Plutocrats, the Petrostates, the Pros, the Propagandists, and the Press. The Plutocrats are the wealthy industrialists and philanthropists who have amassed vast fortunes, too often using their wealth and access to politicians and media to stage repeated attacks upon eminent scientists such as Mann and Hotez. The Petrostates are those governments who have been sympathetic to anti-science views, not only especially in the oil-rich Middle East, but, of special importance, historically, Russia given the growth of Lysenkoism during the Soviet Union dictatorial regime of Joseph Stalin, but also, even here in the United States, with one political party, the Republican Party, becoming too closely identified with anti-science advocates and organizations supportive of opposing climate change and promoting vaccine denialism. The Pros are so-called "experts" - both those outside of the scientific and medical communities as well as some who are professional scientists and doctors who have lent their support, even led, antiscientific movements. The Propagandists are those who have led - or hold key positions in - antiscientific movements, like podcaster Joe Rogan, author Naomi Wolf and antivaccine and wellness advocate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. What is especially surprising is that Mann and Hotez have identified The Press as the fifth member of this unholy alliance of anti-science players, but their criticisms of right-wing media, especially Fox News are too often accurate and to the point, especially with regards to climate change denialism and the rise of antivaxx advocacy in response to COVID mandates earlier in this decade.
Is there any expectation of hope, that the ongoing battle of anti-science could be won eventually? In a final chapter, "The Path Forward", Mann and Hotez offer us a framework, a well-considered pathway, to deal with the anti-science forces that are attacking not only the reality of man-made climate change, and the threat posed by future pandemics due to the aggressive conduct of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other antivaxx science denialists, but even the reality of some basic, critical parts of science, starting with evolutionary biology. Mann and Hotez emphasize the importance of encouraging scientists to become better communicators, especially those early in their careers, using training provided by organizations such as Mann's Penn Center for Science. Sustainability, and the Media. They stress the importance of adding science communication as part of graduate training for potential scientists in graduate programs. Mann and Hotez stress the importance of supporting those journalists willing and able to learn the relevant science and report accurately on science and medicine. They also insist that science journalists must assume the responsibility of condemning their colleagues who are attacking individual scientists like Mann and Hotez.
Both emphasize the importance of "Defeating Disinformation". As a long-time member of the National Center for Science Education (www.ncse.ngo), I was pleasantly surprised to see them praise NCSE's ongoing efforts in defeating disinformation with regards to the realities of both man-made climate change and biological evolution, going on the offense to attack those who disseminate "disinformation" as well as training educators to defeat it in the schools where they teach. (Mann has been an important, quite influential, member of NCSE's board of directors; as a loyal member, I greatly appreciate his dedication and hard work.) They also emphasize the need to go after "dark money" to find out who is supporting financially those individuals and organizations which are working zealously to promote disinformation. They also urge the public to use the power of the purse, insofar as not supporting those who are supporting - or willing to ignore - disinformation, which is exactly what I have done prior to reading this book by refusing to purchase copies of The New York Post, since it published on July 26, 2025, an Op-Ed piece written by Discovery Institute Intelligent Design creationist Casey Luskin, Deputy Director, Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture - the "think tank of Intelligent Design creationism" - condemning the Smithsonian Institution for not making changes to its Human Evolution exhibition, lying and deceiving the public about "errors" in the exhibition - including falsifying published scientific data - which several biologists, including a Ph. D. student and CUNY biologist Dr. Nathan Lents had recognized independently of each other just days before the publication of Luskin's NY Post piece. (I have called upon The New York Post to apologize, to retract Luskin's piece and to allow Professor Lents to publish an Op-Ed piece pointing out Luskin's lies and deceit, but unfortunately, the Post has ignored my demands.)
"Science Under Siege" will be remembered as one of the most important books ever published on scientific disinformation and how to combat it. It is a timely, important, book that should be read by a large audience, especially by those who are fellow Republicans and Conservatives who remain sympathetic to the anti-science views expressed by those individuals and organizations within their political spectrum who reject well-established science such as man-made climate change, vaccinations and the reality of biological evolution. Without question, "Science Under Siege" should be seen as among the most important - and hopefully most influential - books published not only this year, but also, this decade.
(I am indebted to Professor Mann's publicist and Public Affairs for providing me with a review copy.)
Much to their credit, two noted scientists, climatologist Michael Mann and pediatrician - and vaccine inventor - Peter Hotez, have written one of the most important books of our time, "Science Under Siege: How to Fight the Five Most Powerful Forces That Threaten Our World". A book that deserves wide readership, especially from those who are fellow Republicans, who fail to understand the ongoing war against science being done by the Trump administration and its supporters within the MAGA/MAHA movement led by those, like Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who have consistently failed to accept valid, mainstream science for years. It is an important primer on science denialism, drawn upon the personal experiences of the authors, that should be read and followed by many, especially those who may be skeptical of what both have written. A book that should be as well regarded as Naomi Oreskes and Erik Conway's 'The Merchants of Doubt", and one just as important, worthy of comparison not only with their exceptional book, but, more recently with David Lipsky's masterful overview of the history of climate change denialism, "The Parrot and The Igloo".
Both eminent scientists are from similar backgrounds, descended from Jewish immigrants who emigrated to the United States many years ago. What is especially troubling reading "Science Under Siege" is noting how both have fallen victim to antisemitic attacks upon themselves and their families, with those attacking them seeking to cast doubt on their superlative scientific and medical research - in Hotez's case - due to their Jewish heritage. This is uneasily similar to attacks upon "Jewish science" that were waged by antisemites not only in Germany, but also in Russia, during the 20th Century. Especially worrisome is the evidence they present in this book which shows ties between anti-science groups and those that are antisemitic. This especially disturbing trend is one that many may have failed to realize was occurring in the democratic republic that is the United States, welcoming for decades many diverse ethnicities and religious faiths from across the globe.
Mann and Hotez identify five major reasons - "the powerful forces" - which have nurtured and sustained anti-science advocates and organizations, not only here in the United States, but elsewhere across the globe, devoting separate chapters for each of them; the Plutocrats, the Petrostates, the Pros, the Propagandists, and the Press. The Plutocrats are the wealthy industrialists and philanthropists who have amassed vast fortunes, too often using their wealth and access to politicians and media to stage repeated attacks upon eminent scientists such as Mann and Hotez. The Petrostates are those governments who have been sympathetic to anti-science views, not only especially in the oil-rich Middle East, but, of special importance, historically, Russia given the growth of Lysenkoism during the Soviet Union dictatorial regime of Joseph Stalin, but also, even here in the United States, with one political party, the Republican Party, becoming too closely identified with anti-science advocates and organizations supportive of opposing climate change and promoting vaccine denialism. The Pros are so-called "experts" - both those outside of the scientific and medical communities as well as some who are professional scientists and doctors who have lent their support, even led, antiscientific movements. The Propagandists are those who have led - or hold key positions in - antiscientific movements, like podcaster Joe Rogan, author Naomi Wolf and antivaccine and wellness advocate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. What is especially surprising is that Mann and Hotez have identified The Press as the fifth member of this unholy alliance of anti-science players, but their criticisms of right-wing media, especially Fox News are too often accurate and to the point, especially with regards to climate change denialism and the rise of antivaxx advocacy in response to COVID mandates earlier in this decade.
Is there any expectation of hope, that the ongoing battle of anti-science could be won eventually? In a final chapter, "The Path Forward", Mann and Hotez offer us a framework, a well-considered pathway, to deal with the anti-science forces that are attacking not only the reality of man-made climate change, and the threat posed by future pandemics due to the aggressive conduct of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other antivaxx science denialists, but even the reality of some basic, critical parts of science, starting with evolutionary biology. Mann and Hotez emphasize the importance of encouraging scientists to become better communicators, especially those early in their careers, using training provided by organizations such as Mann's Penn Center for Science. Sustainability, and the Media. They stress the importance of adding science communication as part of graduate training for potential scientists in graduate programs. Mann and Hotez stress the importance of supporting those journalists willing and able to learn the relevant science and report accurately on science and medicine. They also insist that science journalists must assume the responsibility of condemning their colleagues who are attacking individual scientists like Mann and Hotez.
Both emphasize the importance of "Defeating Disinformation". As a long-time member of the National Center for Science Education (www.ncse.ngo), I was pleasantly surprised to see them praise NCSE's ongoing efforts in defeating disinformation with regards to the realities of both man-made climate change and biological evolution, going on the offense to attack those who disseminate "disinformation" as well as training educators to defeat it in the schools where they teach. (Mann has been an important, quite influential, member of NCSE's board of directors; as a loyal member, I greatly appreciate his dedication and hard work.) They also emphasize the need to go after "dark money" to find out who is supporting financially those individuals and organizations which are working zealously to promote disinformation. They also urge the public to use the power of the purse, insofar as not supporting those who are supporting - or willing to ignore - disinformation, which is exactly what I have done prior to reading this book by refusing to purchase copies of The New York Post, since it published on July 26, 2025, an Op-Ed piece written by Discovery Institute Intelligent Design creationist Casey Luskin, Deputy Director, Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture - the "think tank of Intelligent Design creationism" - condemning the Smithsonian Institution for not making changes to its Human Evolution exhibition, lying and deceiving the public about "errors" in the exhibition - including falsifying published scientific data - which several biologists, including a Ph. D. student and CUNY biologist Dr. Nathan Lents had recognized independently of each other just days before the publication of Luskin's NY Post piece. (I have called upon The New York Post to apologize, to retract Luskin's piece and to allow Professor Lents to publish an Op-Ed piece pointing out Luskin's lies and deceit, but unfortunately, the Post has ignored my demands.)
"Science Under Siege" will be remembered as one of the most important books ever published on scientific disinformation and how to combat it. It is a timely, important, book that should be read by a large audience, especially by those who are fellow Republicans and Conservatives who remain sympathetic to the anti-science views expressed by those individuals and organizations within their political spectrum who reject well-established science such as man-made climate change, vaccinations and the reality of biological evolution. Without question, "Science Under Siege" should be seen as among the most important - and hopefully most influential - books published not only this year, but also, this decade.
(I am indebted to Professor Mann's publicist and Public Affairs for providing me with a review copy.)
July 23, 2025
As if it weren’t bad enough that we face the existential challenges of climate change and pandemics—which will likely increase in frequency and severity due to climate change—but that we, at the same time, must battle the forces of antiscience that exacerbate those very problems—and are even bringing back once-eliminated diseases like measles.
Taking on these forces is the unenviable task taken up by two of the world’s leading scientists: Michael E. Mann, climatologist and geophysicist, and Peter J. Hotez, scientist, physician, and Director of the Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development and Endowed Chair in Tropical Pediatrics.
In between advancing human knowledge and developing life-saving vaccinations for the least privileged, Mann and Hotez have been fighting a decades-long rearguard battle against nonspecialist ignoramuses who sow scientific doubt purely for political and financial gain. What they’ve learned along the way about this well-funded antiscience movement—and how to fight back—is presented in this book.
In a nutshell, here’s the problem: Starting at the top, insanely wealthy plutocrats and state actors that stand to lose billions from climate and pandemic responses fund campaigns, political and scientific, that challenge established, consensus science so that collective inaction allows their businesses to operate unimpeded and without consequence. Because they are so well-funded—examples being the Koch brothers, Elon Musk, and Rupert Murdoch—they can essentially bribe venial politicians and scientists (always a slim minority) to cast doubt on scientific findings they don’t like. They then rely on idiotic influencers and, in some cases, the mainstream media itself, to amplify the pseudoscience into general acceptance among the population at large.
These are the “five forces” outlined in the book: plutocrats, petrostates, pros, phonies, and the press (I would add the populace and public education, but more on that later). You will learn exactly who is funding antiscience propaganda, exactly who it benefits and how, all the methods by which false information is amplified, and, also, as if by second thought, what the science actually says about climate change, infectious disease, and vaccination.
Don’t be surprised if you become annoyed at the fact that we shouldn’t even need to be discussing any of this. Idiotic politicians and plutocrats set the agenda about what we talk about so that we never get around to having serious conversations about solutions to real issues, because any kind or response to climate or public health emergencies necessarily places restrictions on business activity. The incentives here are so obvious and against the public’s interest that it hardly seems necessary that we even need a book to explain it.
But we do, clearly, because right-wing propaganda is so effective that the average person knows nothing about its origins, motivations, or methods. One such method, highlighted by the authors, is the tendency of the right to preemptively accuse the other side of that which it itself is guilty. So when Hotez works on developing low-cost or free hookworm-anemia vaccines for the poorest people in Africa, the right incoherently attacks him for prioritizing financial gain when it’s clearly they who want unimpeded and limitless power and profits. Propaganda lesson number one: divert attention away from the real problem so no one looks too closely at you.
The authors do a phenomenal job of listing the five forces of the antiscience movement and their methods. But they miss a sixth, maybe even seventh, element: the populace and public education. We should remember that all the propaganda in the world wouldn’t work on an educated population. So those that repeatedly fall for conspiracy theories shoulder much of the blame, as do our public schools that fail to teach the appropriate skills in critical thinking, philosophy, media literacy, and the scientific method. The authors don’t sufficiently touch on these areas, but they do note how conspiracy theories overwhelmingly target the least educated.
And that brings me to my biggest criticism of the book. Hotez had previously declined a debate with RFK Jr. on the Joe Rogan podcast, under the rationale that vaccine-skeptics with no actual credentials should not be legitimated. But this runs counter to the point the authors make in the book that scientists need to be more visible and do a better job communicating to the public.
Yes, it’s true that RFK has no business debating scientists and that the playing field is not equal. But the people that know this are not the listeners of the Joe Rogan podcast. And that’s the point; you’re not educating the general public by submitting academic papers and speaking at scientific conferences. Or by appearing on CNN. You convince the people you really need to be convincing by appearing on the platforms they pay attention to. For most vaccine skeptics, that means right-wing media, and you need to debate right-wing propagandists, whether you like it or not.
Just as when Jordan Peterson gets embarrassed when debating atheists, I’m sure RFK would likewise get shown up when discussing a topic he has no credentials in or understanding of with a real expert. The worst case scenario is that Rogan’s listeners won’t change their mind after the debate, but they certainly won’t without the debate, either. If he had debated him, the best-case scenario is that Hotez wins over a few listeners with the capacity to follow an argument and the evidence.
If the authors want to win the war on antiscience, they must be willing to take on its most prominent voices, even if those voices lack respectability. And they always will lack respectability, because otherwise they wouldn’t represent anti-scientific opposition. This doesn’t mean you have to debate every science-denier you encounter, but the most prominent ones cannot be ignored.
Thank you to Netgalley for the advance reader copy.
Taking on these forces is the unenviable task taken up by two of the world’s leading scientists: Michael E. Mann, climatologist and geophysicist, and Peter J. Hotez, scientist, physician, and Director of the Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development and Endowed Chair in Tropical Pediatrics.
In between advancing human knowledge and developing life-saving vaccinations for the least privileged, Mann and Hotez have been fighting a decades-long rearguard battle against nonspecialist ignoramuses who sow scientific doubt purely for political and financial gain. What they’ve learned along the way about this well-funded antiscience movement—and how to fight back—is presented in this book.
In a nutshell, here’s the problem: Starting at the top, insanely wealthy plutocrats and state actors that stand to lose billions from climate and pandemic responses fund campaigns, political and scientific, that challenge established, consensus science so that collective inaction allows their businesses to operate unimpeded and without consequence. Because they are so well-funded—examples being the Koch brothers, Elon Musk, and Rupert Murdoch—they can essentially bribe venial politicians and scientists (always a slim minority) to cast doubt on scientific findings they don’t like. They then rely on idiotic influencers and, in some cases, the mainstream media itself, to amplify the pseudoscience into general acceptance among the population at large.
These are the “five forces” outlined in the book: plutocrats, petrostates, pros, phonies, and the press (I would add the populace and public education, but more on that later). You will learn exactly who is funding antiscience propaganda, exactly who it benefits and how, all the methods by which false information is amplified, and, also, as if by second thought, what the science actually says about climate change, infectious disease, and vaccination.
Don’t be surprised if you become annoyed at the fact that we shouldn’t even need to be discussing any of this. Idiotic politicians and plutocrats set the agenda about what we talk about so that we never get around to having serious conversations about solutions to real issues, because any kind or response to climate or public health emergencies necessarily places restrictions on business activity. The incentives here are so obvious and against the public’s interest that it hardly seems necessary that we even need a book to explain it.
But we do, clearly, because right-wing propaganda is so effective that the average person knows nothing about its origins, motivations, or methods. One such method, highlighted by the authors, is the tendency of the right to preemptively accuse the other side of that which it itself is guilty. So when Hotez works on developing low-cost or free hookworm-anemia vaccines for the poorest people in Africa, the right incoherently attacks him for prioritizing financial gain when it’s clearly they who want unimpeded and limitless power and profits. Propaganda lesson number one: divert attention away from the real problem so no one looks too closely at you.
The authors do a phenomenal job of listing the five forces of the antiscience movement and their methods. But they miss a sixth, maybe even seventh, element: the populace and public education. We should remember that all the propaganda in the world wouldn’t work on an educated population. So those that repeatedly fall for conspiracy theories shoulder much of the blame, as do our public schools that fail to teach the appropriate skills in critical thinking, philosophy, media literacy, and the scientific method. The authors don’t sufficiently touch on these areas, but they do note how conspiracy theories overwhelmingly target the least educated.
And that brings me to my biggest criticism of the book. Hotez had previously declined a debate with RFK Jr. on the Joe Rogan podcast, under the rationale that vaccine-skeptics with no actual credentials should not be legitimated. But this runs counter to the point the authors make in the book that scientists need to be more visible and do a better job communicating to the public.
Yes, it’s true that RFK has no business debating scientists and that the playing field is not equal. But the people that know this are not the listeners of the Joe Rogan podcast. And that’s the point; you’re not educating the general public by submitting academic papers and speaking at scientific conferences. Or by appearing on CNN. You convince the people you really need to be convincing by appearing on the platforms they pay attention to. For most vaccine skeptics, that means right-wing media, and you need to debate right-wing propagandists, whether you like it or not.
Just as when Jordan Peterson gets embarrassed when debating atheists, I’m sure RFK would likewise get shown up when discussing a topic he has no credentials in or understanding of with a real expert. The worst case scenario is that Rogan’s listeners won’t change their mind after the debate, but they certainly won’t without the debate, either. If he had debated him, the best-case scenario is that Hotez wins over a few listeners with the capacity to follow an argument and the evidence.
If the authors want to win the war on antiscience, they must be willing to take on its most prominent voices, even if those voices lack respectability. And they always will lack respectability, because otherwise they wouldn’t represent anti-scientific opposition. This doesn’t mean you have to debate every science-denier you encounter, but the most prominent ones cannot be ignored.
Thank you to Netgalley for the advance reader copy.
September 1, 2025
I am a retired scientist and in my retirement I am spending a good bit of time on my family history. So I thought it at least somewhat relevant to combine these 2 interests into my review of Science Under Siege: How to Fight the Five Most Powerful Forces that Threaten Our World.
Between 1885 and 1895, my great grandparents had 8 children. Two made it to adulthood. Perhaps a bit worse than many families but the death a child was not uncommon then. It is rare now.
Another way to look at progress in this area is the change in average life expectancy. It was around 47 in 1900, 68 in 1950 and 77 in 2000.
Much of the improvement in both examples is due to science. Science is also important in many way bit I thought child mortality and life expectancy might be of interest.
For those with an economic interest. The consulting firm McKinsey estimates that recent advances in biology could have a “direct economic impact of up to $4 trillion a year”. (https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/l...)
Michael Mann and Peter Hotez are well qualified to write this book. Both are distinguished scientists and both have been targets of those attacking science. These attacks take many forms distortion and fabrication concerning their work and motivations, death threats, and physical confrontations.
Both are also leaders in very important fields – Dr. Mann in the understating of climate change; Dr Hotez is a vaccine scientist concerned with disease prevention and public health. Both are very important field for the future of humanity. Yet there is significant opposition to scientific research in these and other areas.
The authors write about their experiences and that of other scientists. In addition they write extensively about the causes of this anti-science siege. Its causes and potential solutions. The book is important reading for our time.
Between 1885 and 1895, my great grandparents had 8 children. Two made it to adulthood. Perhaps a bit worse than many families but the death a child was not uncommon then. It is rare now.
Another way to look at progress in this area is the change in average life expectancy. It was around 47 in 1900, 68 in 1950 and 77 in 2000.
Much of the improvement in both examples is due to science. Science is also important in many way bit I thought child mortality and life expectancy might be of interest.
For those with an economic interest. The consulting firm McKinsey estimates that recent advances in biology could have a “direct economic impact of up to $4 trillion a year”. (https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/l...)
Michael Mann and Peter Hotez are well qualified to write this book. Both are distinguished scientists and both have been targets of those attacking science. These attacks take many forms distortion and fabrication concerning their work and motivations, death threats, and physical confrontations.
Both are also leaders in very important fields – Dr. Mann in the understating of climate change; Dr Hotez is a vaccine scientist concerned with disease prevention and public health. Both are very important field for the future of humanity. Yet there is significant opposition to scientific research in these and other areas.
The authors write about their experiences and that of other scientists. In addition they write extensively about the causes of this anti-science siege. Its causes and potential solutions. The book is important reading for our time.
May 26, 2025
This is a great book. It was highly informative and, at the same time, chilling, as we are seeing in real-time the effects of science under siege. The book is well-paced and written in a conversational tone. Hotez and Mann pull no punches; their message is direct and blunt. And they make suggestions for action, many of which they are already doing and leading by example. This book is a must-read for anyone concerned about the future of science in America and elsewhere. Thank you to Netgalley and PublicAffairs for the advance reader copy.
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