Australian Brain-Drain Feared

Australian Brain-Drain Feared

Now Australian researchers and scientists fear that if restrictions on embryonic stem cell research are not lifted, scientists will leave for greener pastures. The same fear has been frequently expressed about American scientists as well; the apparent recipient would be the United Kingdom, which is supportive of the field. An article on ABC (Australian) quoted two scientists who are worried that Australia is falling behind, and the Age has a similar story.

This is perceptual and has not been backed up a study with hard data, but the perception that Americans were falling behind was confirmed by a report that showed that scientists in other nations were publishing at a higher rate. So I expect that the perception has some validity.