Sequestration, the mandatory federal budget cuts scheduled to take effect on March 1, could have a devastating impact on all federal research funding. It’s a big deal and it could mean big setbacks for science. (Check out this post for a primer.)If congress can’t come up with a feasible budget before the first, the cuts will have serious implications for researchers across the country, including many right here on our home turf.

For example, I recently learned that scientists operating with grants from the Department of Defense could see their funds abruptly disappear in a matter of days. Not only does this mean less money to spend on equipment, reagents, and personnel, it could mean turning out the lights on a host of nationally important investigations, like those into autism, obesity, renewable energy, cyber-security and cancer, to name a few.

As part of a larger effort by The Science Coalition and others, Northeastern professor Mansoor Amiji describes what sequestration would mean for his lab in the video below.

Cover photo by Ursula August.