If we had a crystal ball that would tell us which piece of fundamental research will pan out, that would be great. But we don't. So we fund research with the un

If we had a crystal ball that would tell us which piece of fundamental research will pan out, that would be great. But we don't. So we fund research with the understanding that a very high percentage of it will not directly lead us anywhere. Yes, maybe it's bullshit, but we'd learn why, rather than taking someone's word for it. The alternative is to fund no research, and guarantee we get nowhere.