Two Nobel laureates hit Bush on science

STOCKHOLM, Sweden -- Two American Nobel Prize winners said yesterday they are worried about President Bush's attitude toward science and accused his administration of ignoring important research findings.

''There is a measure of denial of scientific evidence going on within our administration, and there are many scientists who are not happy about that," said Roy J. Glauber of Harvard University, who shared this year's physics prize with fellow American John L. Hall and Germany's Theodor W. Haensch.

Their research on the quantum nature of light has resulted in more precise optical clocks and measuring systems, and is used in today's satellite positioning systems.

Glauber also said some members of the US Congress are more concerned about the political consequence of research projects than their scientific importance when they decide where to allocate money.

The projects ''are not evaluated scientifically, they are only evaluated politically," Glauber said, but did not give details on specific projects.

He spoke at a news conference after the three physics laureates gave a lecture at Stockholm University.

Hall agreed that the attitude toward science in the Bush administration ''does not go in the right direction."

''I think to put a gloom and doom spin on it is probably a little bit of overreacting, but it is a worrying time," Hall said.

A large part of the US scientific community has accused Bush of spending too little on research and appointing people who are not qualified for top government science positions.

Administration officials have dismissed such concerns as misguided and accuse some scientists of playing politics -- of attempting to undermine Bush administration policies by claiming they are based on bad science.