Allison Abbott reports in
Nature that Bilim ve Teknik (Science and Technology), a popular science magazine, removed the article from the March issue, just before it was going to be printed.
The publisher, TÜBİTAK, Turkey’s agency for the funding of research and science management, also replaced the cover of the magazine, a picture of Darwin, with a picture that was related to global warming.
Çiğdem Atakuman, the editor of Bilim ve Teknik, confirmed in an interview with Milliyet, one of the most popular newspapers in Turkey. She refused to say more, because she is still in TÜBİTAK’s service.
According to Milliyet, the replacement of the article, and the picture were ordered by TÜBİTAK’s vice-president, Ömer Cebeci, an engineer.
The whole incident is getting a lot of publicity in Turkey, and some scientists are asking for the resignation of Cebeci. They say that it is not only about evolution, but that actually the future of science itself is now at stake in Turkey.
