Annual Review of Cell and Developmental Biology, 2017

The Annual Review of Cell and Developmental Biology is eagerly awaited by the scientific community, as the reviews are not a mere documentation of references but also discuss current state of research in the areas covered and the problems that remain to be addressed. There are 25 reviews in this volume, including perspectives. The ‘Introduction’ by Randy Schekman (one of the editors) is entitled ‘The challenge to science in the arena of public policy’. Schekman expresses concern on the misrepresentation of science for political purposes. He argues that while scepticism should be welcomed, the challenge should be based on scientific principles and not blind dogma. While the article is US-centric, it is highly relevant to all countries.