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7 basic science discoveries that changed the world

Ozempic, MRI machines and flat screen televisions all emerged out of fundamental research decades earlier — the very types of study being slashed by the US government.
By
  1. Michael Marshall

    1. Michael Marshall is a freelance writer based in Devon, UK.

Conceptual illustration showing a Gila-monster, a microscope, a microscope slide, petunias, a flask, an atom and bacteria over a blue sky with clouds.

Illustration: Ibrahim Arafath

Under President Donald Trump, the US government is gutting scientific research. The National Institutes of Health has cut almost US$2 billion of grants that were already approved, and the National Science Foundation has terminated more than 1,400 grants. And the president has even bigger plans to eviscerate science. His proposed budget for fiscal year 2026 would cut non-defence-related research and development by 36%.

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Nature 646, 1040-1043 (2025)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-03474-x

Updates & Corrections

  • Correction 18 November 2025: This News feature erred in describing how the DNA polymerase enzyme works in the polymerase chain reaction method.

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