04/05/2020

'Basic science is the foundation for applied science to grow,' says Aguilaniu.

Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, science has proven to be of paramount importance to society. But to extract applications from scientific research, a long road must be traveled. The role of basic science was the theme of the live broadcast held this Monday (4) on IMPA's Instagram , with researcher Carolina Araujo and geneticist Hugo Aguilaniu, CEO of the Serrapilheira Institute. The broadcast reached up to 365 people and is part of the #NationalMathematicsWeek program, which runs until Friday (8).

“It is important to understand that the dichotomy that is made between immediate and applied science and basic science does not actually exist. Both are part of the same process. There is no applied science without basic science. Basic science is the ground upon which applied science must grow,” pointed out Aguilaniu, who explained that this is one of the reasons why the Serrapilheira Institute primarily supports basic science research.

He also cited the example of the presence of basic science in the Covid-19 crisis, with PCR tests that indicate whether or not the patient has the virus. "This test exists because 25 years ago some 'crazy' researchers studied an enzyme that could replicate DNA at high speed and high temperatures. It is this enzyme that we use today to detect the virus."

A specialist in algebraic geometry, Carolina cited examples of mathematical research that was motivated by a scientific curiosity to extend the frontiers of knowledge and that came to have applications in the future. "Number theory has been studied for centuries by mathematicians motivated by curiosity, and today it is fundamental in public-key cryptography, which is used when we connect to the internet and transmit credit card data," she commented.

For those who missed it, the conversation is available for 24 hours on IMPA's Instagram, just click on the stories. More live streams will take place this week, always at 3 pm. The schedule is available. On Tuesday (5), it's the turn of the institute's general director, Marcelo Viana, to talk with biologist and science communicator Atila Iamarino about science in times of coronavirus.