http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/01/07/557301.aspx
I don't know how many people would find this linked article to be sad, but when I read it I felt like we are slamming the door shut on an era of scientific exploration. It's becoming more and more difficult for researchers to secure the necessary funds to continue on with their work, that is unless they happen to fall under the sometimes not so gracious fold of what the government defines as "necessary research". Some days it seems that if you aren't searching for the cure for avian flu or building a better bomb, then you're out of luck. Which may lead some people to wonder what the point of scientific research really is?
Speculation over the purpose of scientific research is a topic that can be debated about almost endlessly. I don't think anyone really knows for sure. Author Carl Sagan wrote in his book 'Contact' that there's no reason why science can't be practical, even venturing into profitable. But is this really the only justification for research? Or is it really that we're just satisfying a deep seated need to explore our world. The mark of our species is our awareness of the world we live in. A curiosity to push the borders of our societal realities drove men to cross oceans, deserts, mountains, and any other geographic obstacle to draw the lines in those blank sections of map.
With the macro aspects of our world conquered long ago, we turned our attentions to the minute details. Our ability to analyze and discover the machinery of our Earth, bodies, and even the cosmos, begs us to take the results of those who came before us and push forward with research that could open new frontiers. New maps to draw, new boundaries to push and even shatter.
While the situation for many of the 'Big Science' projects, as the article refers to them, may look bleak, even dire on some days, all is not lost. What it's going to take is the audacity to allow ourselves the chance to imagine. So while the door may be shut, let's hope it isn't forever.
