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Nature cannot be fooled

Ursula Bassler: president, the CERN council, CNRS France

The crisis is a reminder of the value of evidence, scientific expertise and
international collaboration

The crisis has shown the value of taking an open and multilateral approach

AS COUNTRIES around the world emerged from covid-19 lockdowns in late

summer 2020, a trend became apparent: those that were slow to heed the

message of science had paid the price. Delays had resulted in a dramatic rise

in infection and fatality rates, requiring more severe and longer-lasting

lockdowns and often plunging the economy into deeper recession. What can

we learn from this?

Health officials’ calls for early lockdown measures were based on the scientific evidence
available at the time. Accepting such evidence requires humility, as it cannot be wished
away, and ignoring it may hit you harder in the long run. As Richard Feynman, a
physicist, once put it: “Reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature