US presidential elections: 70 Nobel laureates 'strongly and fully' back Hillary Clinton

Around 70 Nobel Prize winners have backed the Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton for the next president of the United States.

According to reports, a group of Nobel laureates representing an array of scientific disciplines published an open letter on Wednesday "strongly" supporting Hillary Clinton for the presidency. The group said in the letter that Clinton will "support and advance policies that will enable science and technology to flourish," the Huffington Post reported.

The group of Nobel laureates also warned against the profound consequences of the November presidential election if a wise choice of voting for Clinton is not made.

"To preserve our freedoms, protect our constitutional government, safeguard our national security and ensure that all members of our nation will be able to work together for a better future, it is imperative that Hillary Clinton be elected as the next President of the United States," the letter stated.

Although the letter strongly supports Clinton, it does not mention the Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. Through the letter, the Nobel laureates have stated that Clinton is an ideal candidate for the US presidency as she has a history of "strong advocacy for science agencies and sensible immigration and education policies." They also added that these qualities are essential for a healthy culture of domestic innovation in the nation.

"We need a president who will support and advance policies that will enable science and technology to flourish in our country and to provide the basis of important policy decisions," the letter also stated.

Around 68 Nobel laureates had endorsed Barack Obama in 2012 over then Republican nominee Mitt Romney. The laureates also emphasised that certain global concerns like climate change, cancer and Alzheimer's disease require immediate attention and that America needs to invest in research and innovation for the same.

Donald Trump, however, has described climate change as a hoax perpetrated by the Chinese "to make US manufacturing non-competitive."

The list of the laureate signatories included chemist Peter Agre, economist Robert J. Shiller and physicist Robert Woodrow Wilson.