Royal society to review fellows’ conduct amid Elon Musk’s controversy

More than 2,000 scientists have now signed an open letter, led by structural biologist Stephen Curry, criticising the Royal Society’s “continued silence and apparent inaction” regarding Musk’s membership.

The letter accuses Musk of promoting conspiracy theories, which they claim go against the society’s code of conduct.

“The situation is rendered more serious because Mr Musk now occupies a position within a (Donald) Trump administration in the USA that has over the past several weeks engaged in an assault on scientific research,” the letter states, reported Reuters.

According to The Telegraph, the Royal Society has called its fellows to a meeting next month, where they may vote on whether to expel Musk.

A spokesperson for the Royal Society confirmed the meeting will take place on 3 March, saying it aims to discuss “the principles around public pronouncements and behaviours of fellows.”

However, they added that “any issue raised in respect of individual fellows are dealt with in strict confidence,” without directly mentioning Musk.

(with inputs from Reuters)