Yes and no. Many kinds of innovation happen because people are curious... provided they can afford to indulge their curiosity. Of course, I don't know many peop

Yes and no. Many kinds of innovation happen because people are curious... provided they can afford to indulge their curiosity. Of course, I don't know many people who can personally afford to do the kind of research they are employed to do, so there are important limits at work. Funding plays a major role in enabling curiosity. That said, there's also application. Curiosity may lead to someone discovering a particular complex chemical, but curiosity won't turn it into a cheaply produced pill available at your corner pharmacy.