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In this report, J. Scott Turner reassesses America’s 75‑year experiment with federally funded “Big Science,” arguing that the system built to spark discovery has instead smothered it under bureaucracy, politics, and perverse incentives. It calls for a bold revival of the older, freer, curiosity‑driven scientific culture that once powered America’s most transformative breakthroughs.

Join us as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of America with this new series exploring the untold stories and events that led to our nation's independence.

Shifting Sands: False Positives provides a policy-oriented conclusion to our Shifting Sands reports by outlining Policy Recommendations for how to address the irresponsibility crisis of science policy.

This report sheds a new light on the history of the U.S. Department of Education, its abuses of policy, and charts a new path forward for American education.