প্রতিধ্বনি

Introduction

 

Investigations can be divided into two categories: basic and applied science.

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Basic studies seek fundamental knowledge, are non-directed, and are driven by curiosity and by a desire to understand a physical or biological system. The fundamental knowledge generated is an end unto itself. In contrast, applied research is a focused and targeted effort that seeks a specific goal, a solution to a problem. Although translational research is sometimes portrayed as a relatively new concept, initially coined in the 1980s, the process has in fact been practiced for millennia. Early examples exist in agriculture and in training of animals for domestic purposes. Loosely applied, any effort to improve the human condition based on new scientific knowledge can be considered translational: breeding of crops, use of fertilizers, and development of crude pesticides. Moreover, outside of biology and medicine, the translation of new knowledge in physics and electrical engineering into silicon-based devices over the past half-century has been nothing short of spectacular, world-changing to be sure.

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Basic and Applied research: Not So Different

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Public debate usually tries to draw clear distinctions between basic research and applied research, so that they appear as almost polar opposites: basic researchers may get prizes, but applied scientists get patents. It may seem obvious that scientists should start with a strategic goal for a results-orientated project that can benefit society. But the reality is very different as the two types of research are closely intertwined. The definition of “importance” in context of science is a function of four parameters: size, practicality, integration, and newness. From this perspective, basic and translational science differ primarily in integration and practicality, respectively. The importance of basic science derives from its contribution to knowledge deeper within the tree of information and, consequently, its greater potential for integration with other facts. In contrast, the importance of translational science lies in its practicality. Hence, basic and translational science cannot be viewed as one being more important than the other but rather as complementary areas of human endeavour, with the important distinction that basic science findings often precede advances in translational science.

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In contrast to applied research, fundamental research is driven by our natural curiosity about the universe and our place in it. It is not tied to a desired outcome or pegged to a specific application or even intended to result in any immediate “payoff.” In time, however, discoveries in such research can become the foundation for entirely new industries and can benefit society tremendously.

—Carol Christ (Chancellor, University of California, Berkeley)

 

For example, researchers at Centre for Membrane Pumps in Cells and Disease (PUMPkin) at Aarhus University, Denmark has studied how so-called ion-pumps work in animal and plant cells. This may at first sound like a rather narrow research field, but over the past nine years, their research has led to developments in the treatment of fungal infections following cases of pneumonia, cancer treatments, as well as advances in the understanding of migraine, muscle diseases, and the important sodium-potassium pump mechanism in cells.

 

Therefore, it is not what we study, but how we study it, that defines whether or not our research is considered basic or applied. If our motivation is knowledge for knowledge’s sake, then we are doing basic science. If our motivation is to get results that can be used to make a better vaccine, lighter engineering material, faster network architecture, etc., then it’s applied research. In this way applied research is a top-down style of scientific inquiry, while basic science is bottom-up. But in the end, they’re really not that different; despite their separate goals the types of results they yield are often the same.

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The Pleasure (and Necessity) of Finding Things Out

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Fundamental science in the way it has been set up since the advent of universities is first and foremost an educational experience for the student. Doing a Ph.D. is often a transformative process and has an immense influence on personal development. As one sets out to learn the basic tools and skills needed to be a successful researcher, one is immediately confronted with one’s own limitations, frontiers of personal but also general knowledge. Overcoming these challenges of research requires hard work, resilience, dedication and persistence and contributes to the education of responsible, independent global citizens. Furthermore, science has a very high standard and code of conduct at its core. This teaches students integrity and reliability. In addition, mental capabilities such as discipline of mind as well as critical and analytical thinking are also of crucial importance. The approach to fundamental research makes all the difference between being productive and losing sight of a goal and purpose. Finally, creativity is essential, and it keeps research going, helps the researcher to see the problems faced each time from a different angle, allows him/her to come up with new ideas and look at the subject under investigation in ways no-one has ever looked at before. The tools and skills acquired through research allow the researcher to find his/her way in a dynamic work environment. Therefore, the knowledge and skills gained make researchers useful in a broad variety of positions and empower them to be productive and independent workers.

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Paving the way for future – clues from the past

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History has taught us that the path from basic discoveries to scientific and technological applications is seldom a straight line. Here, some examples are provided which clearly demonstrate the complementarity of basic and translational researches for humanitarian welfare and societal development, although the potential applications are almost endless; organisms as laboratory tools for basic research, bacteria useful in clean-up of petroleum spills, new vaccine production methods, and defining the critical gene set necessary for independent life.

• Today we live in a world filled with technological magic, but we take most of it for granted, never realizing that the man behind the curtain is basic scientific research. Modern electronics, including lasers and transistors, are the most frequently cited examples of the magic that emerged as a consequence of basic discoveries about quantum mechanics in the early 20th century. The basic discoveries of superconductivity (in which electrical resistance disappears in materials cooled below certain critical temperatures) and nuclear magnetic resonance (in which atomic nuclei in a magnetic field absorb and re-emit electromagnetic radiation) played critical roles in the development of clinical MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) machines that help doctors safely and accurately diagnose brain tumours and heart disease.

• Prior to the use of insulin in the 1920s, diabetes was a near death sentence for patients. The disease was associated with high levels of morbidity and mortality and was particularly cruel in the way it affected children. The discovery and medical application of insulin altered forever the fate of those affected by the illness, followed by successive waves of improved benefit as basic and applied science pushed the frontiers of knowledge, continually making the disease easier to manage and life better for patients.

• Fundamental biological discoveries have also generated unforeseen insights or applications. The discovery of telomeres — the protective biomolecular “end caps” on DNA chromosomes — by Elizabeth Blackburn in 1978, which earned her a Nobel Prize, eventually led researchers to a deeper understanding of human aging and cancer two decades later, despite the fact that Blackburn found the telomeres while studying a species of protozoan that creates “pond scum.”

• Even purely abstract findings in number theory have been put to work for us, most notably in the cryptographic mechanisms that protect our bank and credit card numbers when we shop on the Internet.

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Challenges within and how to tackle them

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While discovery and application are often co-generative in the sciences, conducting basic research requires unique support mechanisms. Some of the most frequently asked questions when doing basic research are “What can we use your research for?” and “Does it have any application?” In a world where we face many challenges, it can be difficult – if not impossible – to see how such research contributes to solving daily problems around us (be it hunger, war, energy, climate change, health, etc.). It is thus getting more and more difficult to justify research that has no immediate gain. Fundamental research as such thus seems to be locked in a fight for its existence. In this context, researchers need to be more realistic and transparent when communicating goals and practices to a general audience. They also need to explain that research not only has a purpose per se but also that, if done right, it can have tremendous additional beneficial effects, which spill over into our society and impact our future. One essential ingredient for successful basic research is tolerance for risk and resilience in the face of setbacks. The talent of a successful basic researcher lies not in his or her ability to consistently generate perfectly formed, media-ready “breakthroughs,” but rather in an innate ability to take the 85% of the experiments that screw up and say, ‘Hey, wait a minute, it’s not just a screw up, it’s telling me something.’

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One of the obvious reasons for the new emphasis on translational research is an increasing impatience with the pace with which basic scientific discovery has resulted in new products and cures. Although translation of the molecular biology revolution into genetically modified crops, recombinant drugs, molecular forensics, and nascent gene therapy within a mere generation has been rapid by historical standards, the age of instant communication and fast-forward remote control buttons has created even greater expectations. In this context, the scientific community must educate the public about how science really works and emphasize the complementary relationship between basic and applied research. They should draw attention to the fact that basic research will continue to be the engine driving humanity's hopes for curing disease, increasing productivity, eliminating poverty, developing renewable sources of energy, sustaining agriculture, and ameliorating climate change, to mention only a few current challenges. The scientific discovery process, fuelled by creativity and intellectual freedom, produces our society’s technical and humanitarian achievements. Basic discovery-driven research is the best investment we can make in the face of the multiplying complexity and uncertainty that increasingly defines our new century.

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Concluding remarks

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If the current emphasis on translational research leads to more scientific applications that benefit human society, that will be all for the better. However, it will be critical not to allow our impatience for translational applications to skew resources and researchers away from the open-ended exploration of the natural world that has provided the foundation for so many translational successes and remains as essential as ever. The most compelling reason to vigorously support basic science research is because “the pleasure of finding things out” is built into human nature. It is something we are all born with. Basic science harnesses this intrinsic human urge and focuses it into one of the most potent means of understanding and changing the world that we have ever wielded. The name that scientists have given our species — Homo sapiens, “wise man” — honours this fact. Many animals are curious, and all children wonder “why.” But to actually find out and to draw not just meaning and wisdom but joy from that never-ending project — this is much of what makes us human.

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The real reward is just actually discovering something, and knowing that for a short period of time you’re the only person in the universe that knows it.

— Robert Tjian, biochemist and president of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute

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Discovery-driven science continually shows us, paradoxically, how much we still do not understand. That is its value, and why it matters: because Homo sapiens is an aspirational label, not a foregone conclusion.