Donald Trump’s assault on science could threaten the United States’ position as the world’s leading research nation and have knock-on effects worldwide, Nobel Prize officials in Sweden told AFP.

Since taking office in January, the US president has cut billions of dollars in funding, attacked universities’ academic freedoms and overseen mass layoffs of scientists across federal agencies.

Next week, the Nobel Prizes will be announced in Stockholm and Oslo, and chances are high that researchers working in the United States will take home some of the prestigious awards.

The United States is home to more Nobel science laureates than any other country, due largely to its longstanding investment in basic science and academic freedoms.

But that could change, said Hans Ellegren, secretary gener

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