Can it Ever Happen Here? (February 23, 2007)

Ronald Plasterk

    The journal Science reports that Dutch molecular biologist Ronald Plasterk has been named the Minister of Science, Education and Culture in the newly formed Netherlands government.

Professor Plasterk was born in The Hague in 1957. He received a doctorate in biology at Leiden University in 1984. He is professor of genetics at the University of Utrecht and a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences (KNAW) and he is a well-known media personality in Holland telecasting a twice weekly column on the Dutch debating program Buitenhof, in addition to writing a column in the newspaper  De Volkskrant. He has in the past been sharply critical of government science policy.

Newly minted Nobel Laureate (RNA-i) Andrew Fire told Science, "I'm sad. He's a great scientist, but it's wonderful for Holland," while Piet Borst of the Netherlands Cancer Institute said he expects Professor Plasterk to institute some "radical changes", among them a move  to boost merit-based project funding through the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research.

Professor Borst went on to say the new minister in the new cabinet, which includes two Christian parties, is also "a huge relief for atheist intellectuals." Two years ago, Professor Plasterk, an avowed atheist, blasted his Christian-Democratic predecessor, Maria van der Hoeven, for supporting intelligent design.