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A Decorated Physicist Mexico’s Government Wants Behind Bars

By Brendan O’Boyle

Julia Tagüeña Parga has found herself at the heart of a political clash over Mexican science.

Julia Tagüeña Parga woke up in good spirits on Oct. 21, 2020. It was her 72nd birthday, and her grandkids were coming to visit her in Cuernavaca, a few hours’ drive outside Mexico City. She'd just won a prestigious award honoring her five decades of work as a champion of scientific research in Mexico. Celebrations were in order. Then Tagüeña flipped on President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's daily morning press conference, and her life turned upside down. On screen, Tagüeña saw the director of Mexico’s science and technology council (CONACYT) standing next to the president...

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