
Originally Posted by
HomoUniversalis
Many sciences have related associations. They have their own ethical codes, and many of these associations have government-backed authority in revoking licenses to practise.
That is to say, hiring a scientist to do something unethical by the standards of the association he is affiliated with may get him barred from practising. Moreover, when things are deemed unethical, they are quite likely also illegal.
However, consider the notion of sponsors. Many companies sponsor scientific research and decide with that sponsorship to some degree the direction of research.
Of course, that's not really how science is supposed to work, but everything for the sake of progress, they say.