WHICH scientists can the public trust? It used to be taken for granted that researchers who work for government or in universities would tell it like it is, while those in the pay of industry had a commercial axe to grind, so what they said needed to be taken with a pinch of salt. With a few exceptions, it was a reasonable rule of thumb.
But not any more. Industry and academia have become so entwined that knowing which side of the divide a researcher comes from is increasingly difficult. This uncertainty has become a major issue in a series…
