From mapping the human genome and increasing life expectancy to inventing the iPhone and developing artificial intelligence, scientists say, science has a wide impact on the everyday lives of all people.
But in the face of massive cuts to public science funding, and with fewer people saying they trust scientists than before the pandemic, some scientists are concerned about the future.
Under the Trump administration, thousands of employees have been laid off, and billions of dollars in public grant funds have been cut. The National Science Foundation alone, which funds research that’s led to cell phones, artificial intelligence and MRIs, has lost more than $1 billion for 1,400 projects.
Because the National Institutes of Health is the nation’s main source of federal grants for biomedical research, scientists say the cuts to the NIH jeopardize critical medical research into life-saving vaccines and treatments for cancers, HIV/AIDS and more.
The NIH cuts may also threaten Alzheimer’s research, affecting the up to 7.2 million Americans living with the disease.
Science is relevant and crucial, scientists say, and without it, our lives would look drastically different.
“It’s the air we breathe, it’s the food we eat, it’s the medicines we take. That’s what science is,” chemist Kate Biberdorf said. “… It’s everywhere — it’s our vaccines, it’s the climate change, it’s our cell phones. If you like having electricity in your building, you can thank a scientist for that.”
Find out how science impacts your community.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Science makes every day life better through innovation
Reporting by Rayleigh Deaton, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
