Basic Vs Applied Research (Science Geek Alert)
Written on July 14, 2009 by moe2love
Category: General Science
After reading this article from Stanmed, I felt like I had to talk about the differences between basic vs applied research for all us science geeks.
Whether basic or applied research, this microscope is an important tool in science
When Generation Y appeared as offspring from Generation X, they brought with them radical ways of thinking (we teens are now considered Generation Z). These new ways of thinking were applied to arts, culture, and especially SCIENCE. As scientists began to use creative ways to discover new things, they moved from basic research (essentially, researching a subject without a clear purpose) to applied research (research with a cause). In the example of this article, in 1968 Biochemist Paul Berg was researching bacteria without any apparent purpose to human health when he diversified his research to follow a new line of study in bacterial viruses in order to research recombinant DNA technology. For Berg, it was inevitable – focusing on another subject that applied to human health was an eventual progress of his research continuum. But like every radical move, he faced criticism from other scientists, namely his mentor Arthur Kornberg, M.D. So look at it in your situation – if you were a benevolent scientist who sincerely cared about the human race, which would you choose – basic or applied research?
The answer is obvious, but here’s the main reason many “dinosaur scientists” disapprove of applied research: business. If you told some average Joe fifty years ago that we were going to patent DNA genes as “human inventions”, he would’ve called you a blasphemer against nature. If you told a scientist, you probably would have confirmed their biggest fear. Here we are now, with different companies owning different sections of DNA. Science used to always be about scientists experimenting in subjects they’re interested in, but now it’s about advances in areas that humans need, and often business interests. Also, many scientists don’t follow their true passions in fields of science and simply go for the business interest at the time. It probably makes more sense that scientists do just like Berg and go for the research that’s important to humans as a whole, but do it in a field you’re interested in. It’s the obvious solution.
