Soon after writing this article, I spotted a great piece on the same topic written by Anthony Faiola of the Washington Post. If you want to read more, a link is provided to the left.

It seems that appreciation for scientific discovery and achievement is lost on today’s society. The public really doesn’t care what scientists have learned unless they get a better iPhone or a cure for cancer out of it.

Why promote, discuss and fund science when Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan are so much more interesting? There was a time in the past when the scientists and the explorers among us were heroes honored among the public as much as entertainment celebrities are today. In that past time, science was just as interesting to people as technological developments are today.

But today we are apparently content with the world the way it is. U.S. companies often only spend minimal amounts on research and development and have probably spent less this year since Congress let a federal Research and Development tax credit expire in 2009 — the president is currently pushing to create a more generous R&D credit.

The nation itself only spends about 1 to 2 percent of the national budget and 1 to 2 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product on scientific research and development.

CNN simply fired its science news team in favor of solely reporting on technology news. A giant half-finished tunnel in Texas that was slated to eventually surpass the Large Hadron Collider as the largest particle accelerator in the world is now relegated to serving as an underground computer data center.

Visiting the building where the space shuttles are assembled on a rare tour earlier in the year, I learned that half of the bays — there are four — in the vehicle assembly building simply have been used as storage space for decades, never fulfilling the purpose of their design.

Is it a failure in our education system? Are we simply not using science to inspire students and teach them the validity of the scientific method? A recent study published in the journal “Public Understanding of Science” discussed the reluctance of individuals to believe scientific claims that don’t support their own values or prior beliefs. The same article also noted the fact that people are more likely to believe negative scientific findings than positive ones.

What have we done wrong to get to this point where the rare scientific discovery or breakthrough is lucky to gain a place in newspapers alongside an overabundance of politics and Hollywood news?

Did we conquer the moon and the bottom of the oceans in recent decades and figure we had found all the knowledge there is to find? Yes, we do need to take time to deal with politics, wars around the world and maybe Paris Hilton from time to time, but we need to make sure that we don’t forget science.

Yes, you may argue that science and R&D doesn’t directly help a company sell more products or make more money, but the reality is that scientific research helps the company’s bottom line down the road as technology develops and matures from scientific research discoveries.

Science is the force powering the bottom line of humanity, giving us better health, more abundant crops, the ability to predict the weather and the ability to eventually find and develop new planets for humans to live on — and grow food on.

We need to reinstate the federal tax credit and increase scientific research today if we have any expectation of a brighter tomorrow. We can’t let science research sit at the bottom of politicians’ priorities because without the hard work of researchers and scientists over the past half-century, we would not be living in the digital age of today. Take a minute to consider that as we go into election season this fall.