9 Federally Funded Scientific Breakthroughs That Changed Everything

Science seldom works in straight lines. Sometimes it’s “applied” to solve specific problems: Let’s put people on the moon; we need a Covid vaccine. Much of the time it’s “basic,” aimed at understanding, say, cell division or the physics of cloud formation, with the hope that — somehow, someday — the knowledge will prove useful. Basic science is applied science that hasn’t been applied yet.

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Dr. Schanberg began collaborating with Tiffany Field, a psychologist at the University of Miami who had been studying tactile stimulation and infant development. Together, and with additional N.I.H. funding, they demonstrated that premature infants who received regular stroking and massage gained weight faster and were released from the hospital sooner than those who did not.

Read the whole story (subscription may be required): The New York Times