NIH Head Urges Americans To Believe Real Science

70-year-old geneticist and devout Christian Francis Collins is director of the National Institutes of Health.

Collins was awarded the 2020 Templeton Prize on Thursday.

The prize is one of the world's top religious awards.

According to HuffPost, Collins received the award for demonstrating how science and faith are compatible.

He used his acceptance speech to decry the political divide that is causing some Americans to question the science behind climate change and COVID-19.

Collins, who led the Human Genome Project that mapped human DNA, urged Americans to renew their commitment to “truth and reason.” Of all the developments that cause me concern over the past few years, none is greater than the growing disregard of maintaining a high standard of objective truth.

Francis Collins Director, National Institutes of Health