>> dan: it's true that there is an increased skepticism of objective reality these days, but this science stands on thousands of years of human, accrued understanding. >> anthony: who's interested? like who's most likely to benefit? >> dan: there's no immediate answer to that question. >> anthony: but you're asking basic questions about the fundamental nature of matter, time, space. surely it was people asking those kinds of questions that led directly to technologies that we take for granted now. >> dan: that's right. i mean there's no question. we have to solve hard problems to do these things and when we solve them they have other applications. i've always thought of this basic research trying to understand the universe as one of the most hopeful things that humans do. we just want to know. >> anthony: what's at the other end of that? wouldn't you kind of like to know? at a time when science is held in open contempt, when painfully acquired data is actually being deleted from computers if it conflicts with preconceived policies, these guys are looking