Science 3. 0

Popular images of researchers tend to picture them as dreamy seekers of truth, driven by a purity of purpose untouched by money or politics. Frank Miedema argues that this picture is too innocent and proposes that we rethink science, especially the life sciences, in light of the economic conditions that shape it today.

The book examines how outside pressures affect scientific work. Its subjects range from scientists' use of social media to the question of whether academics can remain independent, and from the uneasy relationship between universities and industry. Miedema also explores how science drives economic and social progress, and how the growing demand for practical solutions to real-world problems has drawn researchers out of academia and into corporate employment.

Written for people working in or thinking about the sciences, the book offers a broad and candid survey of the field as it now operates. It is grounded in careful research and sharp observation of how the scientific enterprise functions beyond the laboratory.