U.S. Rep. Margaret Martonosi sits on House . Todd Akin : A petition to remove him from the committee is starting to gain momentum . Akin and his cohort can not be allowed to substitute folklore for science , she says . The recurring theme in these stories is that when data goes against a politician 's belief or hope , they try to refute the data and the science -- sometimes supplying their own folklore as stand-ins for real data -- rather than taking on the higher-level and more complex policy issues regarding how to respond to the data . Martonosi : How can the Missouri allow itself to be governed by those who ignore scientific fact ?
U.S. Rep. Margaret Martonosi sits on House . Todd Akin : A petition to remove him from the committee is starting to gain momentum . Akin and his cohort can not be allowed to substitute folklore for science , she says . Martonosi : How can the Missouri allow itself to be governed by those who ignore scientific fact ?