Shrimp on treadmills and other Science

I admit up front that sometimes the things scientists do sound strange, funny or even stupid. Take the experiments on hamster testicles. Microsurgery on the vas deferens to sterilize male hamsters. This got a William Proxmire “Golden Fleece Award” for wasting taxpayer’s money. Yet the research led directly to the Vasectomy surgery performed on millions of men successfully every year. Or Paul Ekman’s research on facial expressions that has led to the decoding of facial expressions and is partly responsible for the successful system used by Israel and TSA screeners in the quest for terrorists.
Admittedly some research looks goofy. For example someone did a study to find out why prisoners want to get out of jail. The point is this: science at the front end is an easy target for anyone that doesn’t understand what science is all about.
So what is science all about you ask? At the core, it is about asking questions and getting answers. Sometimes the questions seem silly and sometimes not. Politicians like to make headlines by uncovering “waste and fraud” and being vigilante watchdogs of public funds. They still fill the budget with “turkeys” and “earmarks”, and they still piss away millions of dollars a year on “fact finding” trips all over the world, and they still take money from lobbyists who control the legislative process.
And shrimp? This research is looking at the effects of pollution on the physiology of crustaceans and is related to the recent oil spills. Not a bad investment. And the total spent was only $1000. Still, it sounds silly and makes the “Government” look bad to some.
Image: http://msnbcmedia2.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/061018/061018_shrimpTreadmill_hmed_2p.grid-6x2.jpg