High- and Low-Cost Realities for Science and Society

In this Policy Forum1, the author argues for greater awareness in the scientific community about where we stand in the tension between science and society, what has been achieved so far, and what is to be expected for the future. So far, in order to persuade the public of the need to support science, technology, and innovation, efforts have largely focused on communicating something of the beauty, the glamour, and the enthusiasm of science and technology. In the future, more must be done to explain how research is actually carried out. Simultaneously, society's expectations must be better incorporated into the process of research. 1: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/308/5725/1117