Anything but Basic: The push to reduce spending on foundational research is shortsighted, Tesla A. Monson and Marianne F. Brasil write

As the federal administration has moved to slash public funding for research and education at all levels, and as the government now enters into what could be a prolonged shutdown, many researchers are left worrying whether their grants will be attacked and their projects terminated. Alongside governmentally initiated ideological attacks on research grants, the administration seeks to reduce funding for basic science by one-third.

We are researchers and professors of anthropology; because our research generates hypotheses about human health but does not directly translate into the development of cures and such, it is classified by the U.S. government as “basic” research. “Basic,” as a category of research, is a catch-all for anything that is not immediately “applied” to human health or technological development, or considered practical.