HBES Executive Council Statement in Defense of Science

HBES stands in defense of the values of scientific inquiry and in opposition to censorship and the defunding of peer-reviewed research projects in the US whose grants were awarded by agencies and processes that have been subject to congressional oversight for decades. We support worldwide rallies in March 2025 calling for continued public funding of scientific research.

The Human Behavior and Evolution Society (HBES) is an international, nonprofit, non-partisan organization that welcomes scholars with diverse backgrounds, viewpoints, and areas of expertise who investigate the evolutionary bases of psychology and behavior. Our mission is to foster and support evolutionary research and researchers around the world, and we stand in support of efforts in all countries to protect scientific research and researchers from interference and threats to scientific freedom. Importantly, research projects on many phenomena that are key to the study of human evolution, such as sex and gender differences and cultural diversity, face the possibility of systematic defunding in the US, directly impacting the work of HBES members.

Historically, the United States Government has allocated funds to government agencies such as the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and many others, to finance research that has been a foundation for scientific knowledge and the health and prosperity of U.S. citizens. Hindering the disbursement of approved funds and disrupting the operations of these agencies jeopardizes the U.S. scientific enterprise, and the health and well-being of U.S. citizens.

HBES calls for an immediate return to the bipartisan overview of, and investment in, scientific research that has long characterized US policy.

Signed,

The HBES Executive Council