Our hopes should by buoyed, for instance, by the knowledge that the National Institutes of Health is now led by Harold Varmus, a distinguished biologist. Varmus appears eager to defend the clear merits of basic biomedical investigation and to voice the demand, on behalf of the nation's bench scientists, for the financial--and philosophical--support that curiosity-driven research clearly deserves.
Not unrelated is the sense of confidence we can gain from the recent appointment of Neal Lane as director of the National Science Foundation. On page 11 of this issue, we present an exclusive interview with Lane, who also appears to understand the value of untargeted research. Lane, of course, will have his hands full in his efforts to accommodate the interests of pure research while under pressure from powerful figures in government and industry who insist that federally supported science must have a practical, fiscal, near-term--if not immediate--payoff.
Also most gratifying ...
