Sentence:  In an era when political leaders promise deliverance from decline through America's purported preeminence in scientific research, the news that <WSD>science</WSD> is in deep trouble in the United States has been as unwelcome as a diagnosis of leukemia following the loss of health insurance. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  The collective discipline of study or learning acquired through the scientific method; the sum of knowledge gained from such methods and discipline. (from 18th c.)