Read our related editorial: The pitfalls of Obama’s science bonanza

NEVER has so much money been pumped into science so quickly and with so much hanging on a successful outcome. The full scope of President Barack Obama’s agenda to revitalise the ailing US economy has now been revealed, and it is arguably the biggest bet on science and technology in history.

The Obama administration’s latest attempt to tackle the problems facing the US is a record $3.6 trillion budget request for 2010. This has come hard on the heels of a $787 billion “stimulus package” designed to give the US economy a shot in …