From time to time, groups of scientists pro-pose a boycott of researchers who are citizens of another country, as a political protest against that country's government. It is not widely known that such discrimination is explicitly forbidden by the International Council for Science (ICSU, www.icsu.org) as contrary to the principle of 'universality of science'. (See also Nature 417, 690; 2002 for a statement by the International Human Rights Network of Academies and Scholarly Societies.) ICSU includes nearly 100 national academies of science and research councils, and 26 international scientific unions. We believe that these constituent organizations should do more to make their members aware of the universality of science as a central axiom of scientific conduct. We also suggest that the principle should be taught in graduate training, and accepted as the norm for all scientists.
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