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This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I'm Steve Mirsky . Got a minute ?

Time to bring back the Office of Technology Assessment¹. The OTA was created in 1972 to provide Congress with an objective analysis of complex scientific and technological² issues. But it was killed in ‘95. Rush Holt, one of three physicists³ in Congress, sent a statement to the AAAS meeting in Chicago last week that said, “When the OTA was disbanded, Congress gave itself a lobotomy.” At the meeting, Lewis Branscomb, from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, offered reasons to restore the OTA:

“First obviously technical understanding is much more critical to public policy now than it was in ’94. Consider energy independence, global climate change, nuclear weapons proliferation, and mutation⁴ of viruses into global disease threats—all major issues facing us today. Second, the American economy is more dependent than ever on innovation to give us a competitive advantage. Given the global competition we face, it will require the U.S. to improve more rapidly its own research and innovation capability⁵.”

Thanks for the minute for Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I'm Steve Mirsky .

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1 assessment
n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额
参考例句：
This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。 What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

2 technological
adj.技术的；工艺的
参考例句：
A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。 Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今，随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。

3 physicists
物理学家( physicist的名词复数 )
参考例句：
For many particle physicists, however, it was a year of frustration. 对于许多粒子物理学家来说，这是受挫折的一年。来自英汉非文学 - 科技 Physicists seek rules or patterns to provide a framework. 物理学家寻求用法则或图式来构成一个框架。

4 mutation
n.变化，变异，转变
参考例句：
People who have this mutation need less sleep than others.有这种突变的人需要的睡眠比其他人少。 So far the discussion has centered entirely around mutation in the strict sense.到目前为止，严格来讲，讨论完全集中于围绕突变问题上。

5 capability
n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等
参考例句：
She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。 Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。