No, but that hardly invalidates basic research. Understanding the fundamental interactions of nature not only answers questions, but also leaves room open into the future for new applications. In the 18th century, electricity was a curiousity that made for neat parlor tricks like frogs legs jumping and hair standing up. Less than a century after those fascinating but pretty ineffectual tricks, the world was introduced to the first long distance high speed communication network. So finding physics beyond the
Jesus, what a post-modern dystopic view of science you have. Scientists generally don't give a damn about the "masses" regardless of how they think of them. And near as I can tell, the masses don't give damn about science, certainly not enough to actively discredit it . . . except for the Christian nutjobs, but they only talk to each other and normal people pay them no mind.
Hertz had this to say when he discovered the basis of radio communication: “It's of no use whatsoever. This is just an experiment that proves Maestro Maxwell was right—we just have these mysterious electromagnetic waves that we cannot see with the naked eye. But they are there.”
20 years later it allowed morse code transmission across the Altantic (at a narrow spot), 40 years later we had radio stations.
It can take time to figure things out, even when the discovery is not immediately obvious
Daughter was doing science homework. ..
Me: "What is a cow's favorite elementary particle?"
Her: "..."
Me: "A Muon"
Her: "Get out."
No, but that hardly invalidates basic research. Understanding the fundamental interactions of nature not only answers questions, but also leaves room open into the future for new applications. In the 18th century, electricity was a curiousity that made for neat parlor tricks like frogs legs jumping and hair standing up. Less than a century after those fascinating but pretty ineffectual tricks, the world was introduced to the first long distance high speed communication network. So finding physics beyond the
Jesus, what a post-modern dystopic view of science you have. Scientists generally don't give a damn about the "masses" regardless of how they think of them. And near as I can tell, the masses don't give damn about science, certainly not enough to actively discredit it . . . except for the Christian nutjobs, but they only talk to each other and normal people pay them no mind.
Hertz had this to say when he discovered the basis of radio communication:
“It's of no use whatsoever. This is just an experiment that proves Maestro Maxwell was right—we just have these mysterious electromagnetic waves that we cannot see with the naked eye. But they are there.”
20 years later it allowed morse code transmission across the Altantic (at a narrow spot), 40 years later we had radio stations.
It can take time to figure things out, even when the discovery is not immediately obvious