AMNA NAWAZ: A long legal battle ended yesterday,## when a jury found that two conservative# writers had defamed the prominent climate## scientist Michael Mann, awarding# him a million dollars in damages.

Amid increasing attacks on science, William# Brangham looks at what this verdict means.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Amna, over his long career,# Michael Mann has been an influential contributor## to climate research, as well as becoming# one of the most effective communicators## about climate change's impact.

But he# has also faced considerable backlash.

In 2012, a conservative policy analyst# compared Mann to a child sex abuser,## saying that, instead of molesting children, he# molested and tortured data.

Another called his## work fraudulent.

Mann sued them both.

And,# yesterday, after 12 years, he won his case.

We turn now to another prominent scientist# who has also endured this kind of vitriol.## Dr. Peter Hotez is the dean of the National School# of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine## and co-director of the Texas Children's# Hospital Center for Vaccine Development.

Dr. Hotez, great to see you again.

I know you are in very different fields, but# I have to imagine there was a small sense of## victory that you must have felt seeing# Michael Mann win this defamation case.

DR. PETER HOTEZ, Baylor College# of Medicine: Well, absolutely.

And, remember, the attacks -- now there's somewhat# .. with the attacks on biomedicine.

And it's -- in# some cases, it's coming from the identical forces.

I think the message for this week is, remember,# the attacks denigrating science and trying to## undercut science, both for climate science and# biomedicine, is not just about the science.## It's now gone the next step to attack the# scientists and portray us as public enemies.

And that's where it really starts# to get dangerous.

So, both Michael## and I are stalked regularly.

We receive# threats online, phone calls to the office,## sometimes physical confrontations.# So it's gone out to that new level.

And so I think the reason the court victory# is important is it sends a signal that,## while it's certainly fine to disagree# with the science and express skepticism,## it crosses a line when you're attacking# scientists and putting us in danger.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Can I just ask you what# that is like?

I mean, you spend a career,## as Michael Mann did, in a very different# field, but you spend a career trying## to create medicines to help people and to# help humanity, which you have clearly done.

And then to be attacked like that and to# be -- to worry about threats to your life,## I'm just wondering what that# is like as a professional.

DR. PETER HOTEZ: Well, it# can be demoralizing at times.

Remember, I did my M.D.

and Ph.D. 40 years ago to# make vaccines for global health, to make low-cost,## affordable vaccines for the world that the big# pharma companies wouldn't make.

And we have made## vaccines for parasitic infections, low-cost COVID# vaccines reaching 100 million people or more.

And I always considered that something# important and meaningful and to make the## world better.

And so the idea now# that you would be attacked for it,## first of all, it can be demoralizing.

But,# second, to actually feel like you're in## danger at some level, your family's in# danger, that's what's really worrisome.

And so I think that's the reason why the court# ruling this week is kind of a line in the sand## to say, stop.

You cannot -- it's fine to# disagree, but when you attack scientists,## you're affecting not only the scientific# field, but sending chilling messages to## future generations of scientists that maybe# this is not something you want to go into.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Michael Mann said after# this verdict that he hopes that this sends## a message that falsely attacking a# scientist is not protected speech.

Is it your sense that this kind of a# victory will serve to blunt that army## of people out there who are sniping at you all?

DR. PETER HOTEZ: I don't know.

Is this a one-off thing, or is it -- will it be# more enduring?

I think.. First of all, remember, resorting to the courts# is something that's nobody's first choice.

Look,## in Michael's case, he had to go through 12# years of this.

I mean, who wants to do that?

I mean, if you gave me the choice,# do I want to spend my day developing## a new human hookworm vaccine that's looking# promising to benefit the hundreds of people## who suffer from hookworm anemia# on the African continent, Asia,## and Latin America, or do I want to make cold calls# to plaintiff attorneys, it's no contest, right?

I want to be a scientist, and so does Michael.# So, this is -- this actually says something else,## that we don't have the systems in# place right now to protect scientists,## and too often we're on our own.

And# having to find plaintiff attorneys and## think about suing people is nobody's# first choice, nobody's first option.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: And I have to imagine that a# lot of these attacks now that come anonymously,## driven by bots, now by A.I., has got to# make it even harder to defend yourself.

I mean, Michael Mann at least had two people who## signed their names to the# vitriol they spewed at him.

DR. PETER HOTEZ: Yes, it's coming from all# sectors.

It's coming from foreign actors.## We know that there are bots and trolls coming# from Putin's Russia.

That's really disturbing.

In some cases, it's coming anonymously.

Often# cases, it's coming from bloggers and podcasters## who are actually making a living targeting# science and scientists.

And now it's even## gone to the next level.

We're actually seeing at# least two U.S. senators boasting about how they## target scientists, same with some members# of Congress from the House Freedom Caucus.

And there's a whole system in place at FOX# News to amplify this.

So, it's -- the point is,## there's an entire ecosystem of attacks on# science, which I kind of understand, but also## the scientists.

And when they start portraying# us as public enemies, that puts us in danger.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: All right, Dr. Peter Hotez,## always good to talk to you.# Thank you so much for being here.

DR. PETER HOTEZ: Thanks so much.