Science must be seen as a viable profession for the many, not the few
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In their Comment, Dan Tao, Rui Wei and Yonghe Zheng rightly assert that the best way to build an innovation system is from the classroom up, not the laboratory down (see Nature 653, 1005–1007; 2026). This lesson, from China, serves as a stark warning to Europe, where too many students encounter science late, mainly as a dry, exam-focused subject rather than a way of thinking and doing.
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Nature 654, 564 (2026)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-01849-2
Competing Interests
The author declares no competing interests.
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