There are several steps between research on seemingly esoteric subjects and breakthrough medical treatments. Ethical oversight at every stage ensures science and society ultimately benefit.

Basic research that doesn’t have a specific industrial or experimental application still adds value outside the lab by engaging people with exciting research.

Since 1971, the US has led the world in funding cancer research and developing new treatments that have driven down death rates. This may soon no longer be the case.

The Epidemic Intelligence Service has been a crucial tool in fighting diseases at home and abroad. Its impact would be impossible to replace.

The National Institutes of Health has been integral to scientific progress in treating countless human diseases. Without its support, patients will ultimately pay the price.

From HIV treatments to school desegregation, research into topics now considered DEIA have benefited Americans throughout history.

Trump’s DEI-related executive orders may affect early career scientists and researchers who study representation in science, but most research grants are unaffected.

For the past decade, the Abdul Latif Jameel Water and Food Systems Lab has strengthened MIT faculty efforts in water and food research and innovation.

The jury’s out on whether the US is still at the top of global science. Proposed cuts to major agencies could mean completely ceding that title.

It costs money to maintain the various facilities, utilities and personnel that allow scientists to conduct research in the first place. Without federal support, institutions are left scrambling.