NCSE's Steven Newton's op-ed "Science denial is on the rise" appeared in the December 24, 2009, issue of the Philadelphia Inquirer. "From evolution to global warming to vaccines," he wrote, "science is under assault from denialists — those who dismiss well-tested scientific knowledge as merely one of many competing ideologies." Ignoring the weight of overwhelming evidence and focusing their efforts on spreading misinformation to the public, denialists "hope to cloak themselves in the mantle of science without being restricted by its requirement." But, he concluded, "Understanding science has never been more important than it is today. ... As long scientists must squander their time defending their work from denialism, we will fall behind on our fundamental responsibilities."