Basic research

That's why we brought Dan here.

Like sure, fundamental science, the Millennium Prize, mathematicians.

Boring.

I want to know if I'm gonna be turned into a Duracell battery, you know? Like, that's what I want to know.

All right, this next one, he's making a pretty strong case.

I don't know if it's true or not, but how basic research actually gets to nuts and bolts, inventions that save our lives.

So this is the strongest part of his case, probably.

So let's hear what he has to say.

Yeah, you hit on this already, but I want to hit it again.

It is condescending voice that you just heard us play.

Tyson makes it sound like government funding of basic research is just this angelic truth seeking activity.

But we know that's not true.

And the idea behind the Golden Goose Awards is it celebrates federally funded research that unexpectedly benefits society.

Um, we talk a lot about this on the pod where the, the, the benefit of basic research.

You know, sometimes the Nobels are areas where people know that there's something.

Yeah.

And I think what's, this is, this is an active area of conversation right now because there is an ongoing battle within, you know, the political architecture around two aspects of grants, grants being the money that goes into research and development.

Research and development is a very wide i- surface area of things.

R&D and funding for basic research does not just exist within the National Science Foundation.

National Science Foundation is 4% of the entire research and development budget that the federal government puts money into.