As the United States marks its 250th anniversary, a special collection in Science highlights the roots and evolution of the nation’s science and research enterprise.

Across three Policy Forums, authors illustrate how the United States’ scientific and technological progress has been driven not only by major discoveries and innovations, but also by the policies and institutions that supported them. These articles highlight the historical changes in government, universities, and industry that have shaped the U.S. research and science enterprise and emphasize that continued collaboration among these sectors is essential to advancing scientific research and technological development.

For much of U.S. history, the federal government played only a limited role in funding scientific research. However, in a Policy Forum by Daniel Gross and Bhaven Sampat, the authors discuss how that changed dramatically during World War II, when the government forged unprecedented partnerships with universities and industry to accelerate innovation for the war effort. This success ultimately laid the foundation for the modern American research enterprise as well as the establishment of the diverse network of federal science-focused agencies, such as the NIH, NSF, and NASA. The system that arose post-WWII has become globally influential and continues to fuel technological progress, economic growth, and public health.

In another Policy Forum, Johns Hopkins University President Ronald Daniels highlights the role of U.S. universities in U.S. research. According to Daniels, much of the modern American research enterprise can trace its roots to the late 19th century transformation of U.S. universities. The rise in advanced research through graduate-level education, which was sustained by federal investment, quickly made the U.S. a global leader in science. The author argues that the core principles of open competition, scientific merit, and academic freedom remain essential and should be strengthened rather than abandoned.

The final Policy Forum underscores how American industry has helped build American science and innovation. According to Ashish Arora and Sharon Belenzon, the organization of American innovation has evolved from the lone inventor to a collaborative ecosystem linking universities, start-ups, and established companies. Early industrial research laboratories, pioneered by innovators like Thomas Edison and later expanded by major corporations, integrated scientific discovery with product development and helped fuel many of the twentieth century’s greatest technological advances. Over time, however, universities became the primary engines of basic research, while venture-backed start-ups increasingly translated discoveries into commercial applications and larger firms focused on scaling them.

The package also includes a selection of six short essays from various authors that highlight the nation’s scientific legacy – both its extraordinary achievements, such as the space program, and its profound harms, like the eugenics movement. Together, the essays offer perspective on how science has shaped –  and been shaped by – democracy, equity, public investment, and the U.S.’s evolving values.

In an Editorial, Science Editor-in-Chief Holden Thorp reflects on whether the promise of knowledge and education envisioned by the founders is still alive in America today. “Rather than continuing to discuss the problem of public trust in higher education and science, the Semiquincentennial is an opportunity for both institutions to acknowledge that Americans can be disappointed in the impact of higher education and science on society but still believe that both can be better,” Thorp writes. “The scientific community can recognize this by committing to what it says it can do and living up to those aspirations in a way that is rigorously documented and provides benefits to all.”

Human embryo models are laboratory-grown models derived from human stem cells that mimic aspects of early human development. They are increasingly used to study developmental processes and infertility, raising new questions about how this research should be regulated. In April 2026, Japan introduced revised guidelines covering human embryo model research. Under the new framework, all such research now requires ethics review and notification to the national government.

To understand how these changes fit within the broader international landscape, Professor Misao Fujita, Assistant Professor Kyoko Akatsuka, and Researcher Fujika Ariarakawa of the Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology (WPI-ASHBi) and the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA), Kyoto University, compared the Japanese guidelines with the 2025 guidelines of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR). While the two guidelines are broadly consistent, important differences remain in how some areas of research are defined and regulated. The study highlights the need for researchers, ethics review committees, regulatory authorities, academic societies, and journals to work closely together as the field continues to evolve.

These findings were published in Cell Stem Cell on 2 July 2026.

Colin Rhinesmith, associate professor of information sciences at the University of Illinois, has authored a new book examining how community coalitions address digital inequality and strengthen democracy. Digital Equity Ecosystems: How Community Coalitions Reduce Inequality and Strengthen Democracy, published by University of California Press, introduces the concept of "digital equity ecosystems" to describe how community coalitions work to alleviate technological inequity and social injustice. The book is the first in-depth look at how cross-sector coalitions—led by local governments, philanthropic organizations, and community members—address information needs and opportunities. The coalitions' work includes environmental sustainability, featuring examples of technology refurbishers, who provide low-cost computers to individuals and families while keeping e-waste out of landfills.

Most Europeans citizens consider economic growth a necessary condition, rather than an obstacle, for advancing towards a sustainable future. This is the conclusion reached in a new study by the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB), published in Nature Communications.