Over the past few years, we have witnessed a profound divergence between the heights of our scientific capabilities and the depths of our political failures. Sciences’ emphasis on discovery and collaboration has the power to unite people in the quest for understanding, while our politics often fall foul to divisiveness, fostering pointlessly destructive behaviour. In an age blighted by gratuitous conflict, we must seek to cling to the unifying nature proffered by scientific discovery, writes Avi Loeb.