Why basic research matters and defunding and firing scientists will cost us.
Many life-saving breakthroughs started as curiosity-driven science with no clear application. Yet, these discoveries once seen as obscure ended up transforming medicine.
Here’s why funding basic science is essential.
A 🧵👇
Many life-saving breakthroughs started as curiosity-driven science with no clear application. Yet, these discoveries once seen as obscure ended up transforming medicine.
Here’s why funding basic science is essential.
A 🧵👇
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1980s - scientists noticed weird repeating DNA in bacteria. Turns out, it was a bacterial immune system that could cut & edit viral DNA. This led to CRISPR-Cas9, a tool now used to edit genes, treat sickle cell dz & fight cancer!
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1258096
In the 1960s, scientists studying glowing jellyfish found Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP). It seemed useless until researchers realized GFP could track cancer cells, study Alzheimer’s & visualize brain activity!
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/13911999/
Scientists found bacteria in deep-sea vents with a heat-resistant enzyme, Taq polymerase. Years later, this led to PCR, a key tool for DNA tests, crime forensics & pathogen detection.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3431465/
In the 1970s, scientists studied fungi that blocked cholesterol in yeast. The result? Statins, now the most widely used drug class to prevent heart attacks & strokes.
https://www.nature.com/articles/nm1008-1050
In the 1990s, scientists found that Gila monster venom contained exendin-4, which mimics GLP-1.
That led to Ozempic & Wegovy, drugs now revolutionizing diabetes & obesity treatment.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1313797/
1970s - researchers studying adenoviruses in cells noticed that genes were split into separate segments and required splicing. RNA splicing improved our understanding of genetic diseases and paved the way for modern mRNA vaccines.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6994983/