Nathan Mattise

Nathan Mattise

Nathan Mattise

Nathan Mattise

Nathan Mattise

Nathan Mattise

Nathan Mattise

Nathan Mattise

Nathan Mattise

Nathan Mattise

Nathan Mattise



Nathan Mattise

Nathan Mattise

Nathan Mattise

Nathan Mattise

Nathan Mattise

Nathan Mattise

Nathan Mattise

Nathan Mattise

Nathan Mattise

Kyle Orland

Kyle Orland

Kyle Orland

Kyle Orland

Kyle Orland

Kyle Orland

Kyle Orland

Kyle Orland

Kyle Orland

Kyle Orland

Kyle Orland

Aaron Zimmerman

Aaron Zimmerman

Aaron Zimmerman

Aaron Zimmerman

Megan Geuss

Megan Geuss

Megan Geuss

Megan Geuss

Megan Geuss

AUSTIN, Texas—“We are here today because the importance of science in our nation is in dispute," Dr. Art Markman told the assembled crowd outside the Texas State Capitol. "And I have to lecture a bit because I’m a professor.”

Evidently, professors weren't the only ones compelled to act at this weekend's March for Science. Activists, writers, engineers, scientists, coders, kids, dogs, religious leaders, a PhD student preparing to give his dissertation next Friday, and a joke-telling robot named Annabelle gathered side-by-side among thousands ready to march at the Austin event.

Everyone seemingly had a different reason to attend: support for clean energy, the banishment of junk science from Texas education, increased belief in forensic evidence for the criminal justice system, or simple declarations like "No Science? No Beer." Here, where congressman Lamar Smith (R-TX) has challenged the very principles of the scientific method from his nearby district office, the messaging came across as clear and unified.

"The next time we see some politician talking down to someone who's devoted their life to research, we're going to stand up for science," said Kathy Miller, president of the Texas Freedom Network (an organization devoted to battling junk science in state curriculum).

Pro-science Texans did score a tiny victory earlier in the week when the state legislature approved changes to the education curriculum that "moves away from language that openly questions the theory of evolution," according to the San Antonio Current. Though celebrated briefly at the rally, even that small change leaves plenty of room for interpretation going forward. And with the state legislature still in session, speakers regularly implored the crowd to continue reaching out to their representatives. After all, it was just this week that Texas appointed Kelcy Warren—the CEO whose company stood behind the Dakota Access Pipeline—to the Texas State Parks and Wildlife board.

"He was appointed by people in this building instead of someone who may actually know something about conservation," said Dave Cortez, a local activist with the pro-environment Sierra Club.

Sam Machkovech

Sam Machkovech

Sam Machkovech

Sam Machkovech

Sam Machkovech

Sam Machkovech

John Timmer

John Timmer

John Timmer

John Timmer

John Timmer

John Timmer

John Timmer

John Timmer

John Timmer

Scott K. Johnson

Scott K. Johnson

Scott K. Johnson

Scott K. Johnson

Scott K. Johnson

Scott K. Johnson

Scott K. Johnson

Scott K. Johnson

Scott K. Johnson

Scott K. Johnson

Scott K. Johnson

Scott K. Johnson

Scott K. Johnson

Scott K. Johnson

Scott K. Johnson

Scott K. Johnson

Scott K. Johnson

Scott K. Johnson

Andrew Cunningham

Andrew Cunningham

Andrew Cunningham

Andrew Cunningham

Beyond Austin, Ars staff showed up at gatherings far and wide—Seattle, DC, Denver, Austin, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Boston, and Chicago just to cite a few. Each had some local character to color an overall message of activism and the essentialness of science. Solar panels powered a concert set in Colorado, folks on the streets of Texas chanted "No Science? No Barbecue," and DC had the most overtly activist feeling with bigwigs like Bill Nye addressing the crowd beforehand (Questlove was apparently waiting for him offstage). Many of the events featured high profile guest speakers who worked at the peak of US science: former EPA climate change advisor Michael Cox addressed crowds in Seattle, former EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy talked in Boston, and former NASA astronaut Garrett Reisman led the movement in LA.

Crowd sizes in many areas reached the tens of thousands, with an estimated 40,000 participating in Chicago and crowds around 15,000 in DC and LA for instance. Reports from Newsweek and Reuters note that at least 600 events took place worldwide. For an event that began as Reddit fodder and grew to the point of internal conflict among its proponents, the scope exceeded what anyone could've dreamt up.

If the images above don't give it away, the affair showcased the incredible diversity and creativity science inspires in us. Signs depicting Darwin or Marie Curie felt as likely as Rick and Morty or Spock, and several marchers brought out degrees or formulas most Ars staffers would need to ask John Timmer about. So for at least one afternoon in a country where leadership has been openly hostile to good science, everyone definitively took notice. Naturally, even President Donald Trump felt compelled to chime in: "My Administration is committed to keeping our air and water clean, to preserving our forests, lakes, and open spaces, and to protecting endangered species," Trump said in a statement yesterday, according to The Hill. "Rigorous science is critical to my Administration’s efforts to achieve the twin goals of economic growth and environmental protection. My Administration is committed to advancing scientific research that leads to a better understanding of our environment and of environmental risks."

Kyle Orland, Nathan Mattise, Megan Geuss, Andrew Cunningham, Aaron Zimmerman, Sam Machkovech, Scott K. Johnson, and John Timmer contributed to this story.

Listing image by Nathan Mattise