Sure….you could apply a number of different interpretations to this image, but it’s really about how the process of scientific inquiry often plays out. Not all science should be applied…if we don’t invest in what often seems like useless research we can’t move the process of discovery forward.
Why?
Because without curiosity driven research we would never learn many thins that permit us to make major leaps. The search for answers to deep questions, motivated solely by curiosity and without concern for applications, often leads not only to the greatest scientific discoveries but also to the most revolutionary technological breakthroughs.
Without what was once considered useless research, the research that merely involves someone fucking around in the lab (or in other locations) there are just sooooo many things we would never have found out.
If we limited funding for research to projects that were deemed to be necessary or applied we wouldn’t have…
Electricity: When Michael Faraday discovered electromagnetic induction in 1831, people scoffed, wondering what practical use it could ever serve. Fast forward, and his work forms the foundation of electric power generation.
Radio Waves: Heinrich Hertz, who proved the existence of electromagnetic waves in the late 19th century, famously remarked that his work had no practical value. His findings later became essential to radio, television, and wireless communication.
Lasers: When lasers were first developed in the 1960s, critics dubbed them a “solution looking for a problem.” Today, lasers are integral to industries like medicine (surgery), telecommunications (fiber optics), entertainment, and even grocery store scanners.
The Internet: Originally a project of academics and military researchers, ARPANET—the precursor to the internet—was criticized as niche and unnecessary. It turned out to be arguably one of the most revolutionary innovations in modern history.
Basic Mathematics: Number theory, which explores properties of numbers for their own sake, was once considered purely academic. It now underpins cryptography, keeping online transactions and communications secure.
b Early research on genetic material was being carried out as early as 1869 but it’s value wasn’t appreciated until the mid-20th Century with discoveries like the double-helix structure by Watson, Crick, Franklin, and Wilkins, that DNA research gained widespread recognition for its importance in understanding life and heredity.
Vaccines: Edward Jenner’s early experiments with smallpox vaccination in the 18th century were doubted and ridiculed. His breakthrough not only eradicated smallpox but paved the way for modern immunology.
Quantum Mechanics: Much of quantum theory seemed abstract and irrelevant when first proposed. Today, it’s the backbone of technologies like semiconductors, which power computers and smartphones, and is advancing areas like quantum computing.
Penicillin: OK, to be fair that was a total accident because Alexander Fleming was a totally messy scientist and contaminated his agar plates all the time, but when he did discover the antibiotic in 1928, it was initially seen as an unpromising lab curiosity. It wasn’t until years later that it became a life-saving compound. Fleming also discovered an enzyme that is critically important in our systems; he discovered lysozyme when his nose dripped on a bacterial culture plate and he later noticed zones of killed bacteria.
The study of blue sky: In the 19th century, many dismissed the work of John Tyndall, who studied why the sky is blue. But his research laid the foundation for modern atmospheric science, including how light scatters, which impacts technologies like fiber optics.
Fruit fly genetics: Early genetics experiments with fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) in the early 1900s were mocked as frivolous. Yet they led to major breakthroughs in understanding heredity, gene mapping, and genetic mutations.
Velcro inspiration: George de Mestral’s study of burdock burrs sticking to his dog’s fur in 1941 seemed trivial. Yet it led to the invention of Velcro, a widely used fastening system.
In 1939 a fellow named Abraham Flexner wrote a manuscript called “The usefulness of useless knowledge”. I have it in a. tiny little book format, and I also have a pdf scan of the original paper. I was talking about the paper to someone I work with the other day and loaned him the book because….it’s important, and it’s worth a read.
We need to support basic science and not ridicule that weird experiment we hear about….it may just provide the key to unlocking something much bigger.
Science is important. Including the seemingly useless research projects.
