"Science is never settled" has become a go-to slogan for populists seeking to legitimise politically convenient but fringe scientific positions. In 2020, MAGA Republican Representative Nancy Mace was asked whether she agreed that climate change is the result of humanmade greenhouse emissions. She responded: "My opponent has said that the science is settled on this. Well, the science is never settled. Scientists will tell you that."
In February, Senator Roger Marshall argued more money should be spent on investigating widely debunked links between autism and vaccines, saying "I'm a physician. Science is never settled. That's what makes us scientists."
