A research project at Rice University is increasing the conversation about the intersection between science, spirituality, and religion. “Religion and science are the two fundamental ways people know things about the world and the fundamental ways that people think about truth in the world,” says Elaine Howard Ecklund, PhD, director of the Religion and Public Life Program at Rice. The Religion among Scientists in International Context study, funded by Templeton World Charity Foundation, is the first-ever empirical study of religion and spirituality among scientists in a cross-regional context. The study shines new light on the pervasive stereotype that scientists feign away from religious beliefs or that they may even be anti-religion, and examines if the perception of conflict between spirituality and science varies according to regional contexts. 22,000 scientists in 8 nations were asked to answer 77 questions concerning religion. Researchers also conducted 600 interviews with scientists on the subject. It turns out that most of the interviewees believe in God, Gods, or the notion of a higher power.