When Political Mapping Leaks Into Science Research

An anonymous reader writes "Political and territorial disputes have been leaking to scientific venues like Nature, Science and Climatic Change. Many recent scientific papers submitted to these journals promote the highly disputed Chinese U-shaped line. One of the authors refused to change her map after being requested by the journals, stating that that her published map was requested by the Chinese government. This practice was condemned by Nature in its latest editorial, which asserts that political maps that seek to advance disputed territorial claims have no place in scientific papers."

Comments

Re:Nobel Peace Prize to the Science Editorial Boar

[BlueStrat]

Why not nominate the Nobel Peace Prize to the Science Editorial Board. They are correct in that "political maps that seek to advance disputed territorial claims have no place in scientific papers".

Since the Nobel Peace Prize awards committee has turned the Peace Prize itself into a political and ideological advocacy/popularity contest (e.g. Obama's award for, as it turns out, not much at all), good luck with that. Thanks to the Nobel Peace Prize awards committee, the Prize now ranks right up there with a bowling trophy in prestige and gravitas.

Strat

Re:Puts me in mind of something else

[Jeremy Erwin]

Underwater Exploring Is Banned In Brazil, New York Times (25 June 1985)

RIO DE JANEIRO— A DISPUTE between the Brazilian Navy and an American marine archeologist has led Brazil to bar the diver from entering the country and to place a ban on all underwater exploration.

The dispute involves Robert Marx, a Florida author and treasure hunter, who asserts that the Brazilian Navy dumped a thick layer of silt on the remains of a Roman vessel that he discovered inside Rio de Janeiro's bay.

Re:Nobel Peace Prize to the Science Editorial Boar

[Belial6]

That is not fair. Presumably, you have to do something to get a bowling award.

Re:Nobel Peace Prize to the Science Editorial Boar

[AdamJS]

It has always been a political affair and general popularity contest award.

Re:Is territory relevant?

[jmorris42]

> Is territory relevant to this research?

The problem is anyone working in China is required to assert Chinese territorial claims because to do otherwise would be an admission that there is a dispute, i.e. that the State might be wrong; and that idea is sedition to a police state.

The only solution is for the scientific journals in the Free World to accept papers as written and then add a editorial note on the order of this:

"Note: This paper was submitted by a prisoner of the Communist Chinese dictatorship and thus must promote Chinese foreign policy goals or be sent to a labor camp or killed. Because the science in this paper is otherwise sound we are publishing it as written, however this should not be taken as an endorsement of Chinese territorial claims by this journal." [Internationally accepted map inset goes here with differences highlighted.]

In other words, throw a passive aggressive turd in their faces and they will be shamed into backing down.