In recent debates on government financing, certain research projects with eccentric sounding – as Study the shrimp on the treadmills – made the headlines and have become easy targets for criticism. Politicians and the public ask: “Why should we pay for shrimp running on treadmills?”
To question these apparently strange, out of context, is a serious threat to support fundamental science focused on curiosity – the same engine that stimulates transformative discoveries.
Today, fundamental science – the continuation of knowledge without immediate practical application – is increasingly perished when decision -makers dispute funding decisions and pressure for more closely targeted and applications research. However, throughout history, the greatest breakthroughs have often appeared unexpectedly, motivated only by the curiosity of researchers for the mysteries of nature.
Unlike applied or translational science aimed at solving specific problems, basic scientists pose wide and open questions: how do cells communicate with each other? How are genes activated or deactivated? How can a small cell become a complex and thinking human being? And how have remarkable adaptations evolved in nature?
It is easy to misunderstand this type of science, as has demonstrated the ridiculous on the experiences of carpet treading of shrimp. But these experiences, analogous to a human stress test, in fact provided valuable information on marine biology and the physiological effects of environmental stressors that could have an impact on fishing. In addition, history has shown that revolutionary technologies and therapies frequently come from previous explorations and curiosity.
Let us take, for example, Crispr-Cas9, the revolutionary genetic publishing technique now transforming medicine. It did not start with medical researchers looking for a way to modify genes; Instead, he was born from fundamental research on the way in which bacteria protect themselves from viral infections. These researchers, after their curiosity, won a Nobel Prize in 2020 and opened new amazing possibilities in genetics and medicine.
Or take the ozempic diabetes drug, now transforming patient care worldwide. He was not born in a pharmaceutical laboratory specifically focused on diabetes. Instead, he is from researchers curious to know how the poisonous Gila MonsterA lizard from deserts can survive without food for long periods. Their question focused on curiosity finally led to GLP-1, a class of drugs that change life.
Likewise, studying the brilliant jellyfish may seem frivolous at first glance, but this research has given us a green fluorescent protein, which is now an essential tool in biology. Student scientists How Glow Gue has created a method to follow molecules within living organisms – a revolutionary discovery that it won a Nobel Prize in chemistry in 2008. GFP now underpins almost all modern biomedical research, helping researchers trace cancer cells, understanding neurological diseases and clarifying genetic processes.
Yet another example comes from research in marine biology which studied the nervous systems of Electric fish and eelsDriven by a simple curiosity about their remarkable electrical capacities. These studies have contributed significantly to our understanding of how nerve cells generate electrical signalsForming the basics of modern electrophysiology, critical to treat heart disease, neurological disorders and chronic pain.
Indeed, a large part of what we know about biology and human diseases does not come from the study of humans. Instead, scientists rely on humble “model organisms”, such as yeast, fruit flies, nematodes, frogs and fish. At first glance, these creatures may seem unrelated to humans, but they share a surprisingly similar genetic makeup for us. Due to their simpler biology and their rapid life cycles, they have provided critical information about everything, how cells are divided to the origins of cancer.
Even our understanding of human congenital malformations has its roots in fundamental science using model organisms. Studies that have started by asking fundamental questions – such as how embryos are developing and what controls the body plan – has led researchers to discover genes and critical ways preserved through many species, including humans. Fruit flies genetic screensFor example, have discovered thousands of essential genes that play a similar role in human development and have led to six Nobel prizes. These results have provided critical information on developmental disorders, which ultimately has an impact on lives worldwide.
And scientists do not stop there. New model organizations are constantly studied due to their unique capacities. Cephalopods – such as octopuses and calmars – draw the attention of researchers because of their incredible intelligence, their sophisticated nervous systems and their remarkable camouflage capacity. By studying these animals, scientists hope to learn more about neuronal plasticity, the origins of intelligence and new treatments for neurological diseases.
If we reduce or limit the financing of research focused on curiosity, we risk stopping the pipeline of future innovation. Although the results of fundamental science may seem clear or esoteric at the start, these works frequently constitute the foundation of future technologies, treatments and therapies.
In other words, we cannot predict where the next transformative discovery will come from. So, do not make fun of shrimp – or flies of fruit, calmars or gila monsters. Science focused on curiosity is the engine that feeds discovery, innovation and the progress of human health. Naisons scientific curiosity – our future breakthroughs depend on it.
Carole Labonne is president of the Society for Developmental Biology and the professor of Erastus Otis Haven of molecular bioscience at the Northwestern University.