Italian science crisis update

A few weeks there was serious worry over the possible closure of the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics, INAF, which I blogged about here.  It seems the immediate panic was over, as the Government pulled back from closure, although they are still planning to cut positions drastically.

However, it seems there is still very serious worry in the scientific community in Italy overall about the government’s plans and intentions. I got an email alerting me to a website where you can sign a petition. I just did that, but I reckon they need a lot more.

You youngsters might also want to know that there is a Facebook Page for friends of Italian Astrophysics.

Meanwhile, here is another interesting contribution to the related UK debate – a BBC blog post by Susan Watts called “Can Science be an engine of growth in an age of austerity ?”