Foundational research
The unseen work required for new knowledge and real-world innovation
Foundational research—also called “blue-sky,” “curiosity-driven,” and "basic" research—is the pursuit of knowledge that can help us better understand our world and universe.
Whether it's gaining more insights into the origins of the Milky Way galaxy or knowing how the brain perceives letters in different contexts, foundational research is also the basis for new applications and solutions that help solve some of humanity’s challenges and problems.
Foundational research is critical to advancing knowledge and improving our world because it is:
- fundamental to all major advances.
- not driven by profit motives, which allows researchers to study little-understood phenomena, investigate rare diseases, and generally take risks to explore new ideas.
- openly shared since findings are available to the public as well as researchers around the world.
- proven to have major payoffs over time. Among the numerous examples are the development of penicillin, the identification of DNA, and the discovery of semiconductors that power computing today.
- mostly done by research universities such as Stanford.
Examples of Stanford’s School of Humanities and Sciences foundational research that has led to major advances
Foundational research on brain development may help prevent degeneration
Stanford neurobiologist Carla Shatz, famous for discovering how neural connections develop early in life, is using that knowledge to work on the problem of how they can later deteriorate from Alzheimer’s disease.
Early cognitive research paved way for today’s AI
More than 40 years ago, federal funding for research into human cognition laid the groundwork for the deep-learning systems driving today’s artificial intelligence technology.
Lasers first investigated by Stanford physicist now see a myriad of uses
Robert Byer’s foundational research developed the quietest, most-stable laser in the world. Today it is found in everything from communications satellites to handheld laser pointers.
Chemical reaction research leads to cancer treatments
Nobel Prize winner and Stanford chemist Carolyn Bertozzi spent ten years doing mechanistic studies and analyzing reactions to develop the bioorthogonal chemistry that today is being tested in human cancer patients for chemotherapy.
Foundational research underway
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Plant samples preserved in museums may hold key to greener future
Stanford biologist Barnabas Daru is using modern tools to unlock data housed in herbaria, or “museums for plants.” This work can help identify long-term trends in plant growth and provide insights on our own rapidly changing environment.
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Gut physics provides insights on your insides
Biophysicist Ben Good uses the tools of his discipline to understand the evolution occurring in the human gut microbiome, with the long-term goal of improving health and medical treatments.
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Microlightning in water droplets may have sparked life on Earth
A Stanford study shows electrical charges in sprays of water can cause chemical reactions that form organic molecules from inorganic materials—which may have helped create the building blocks for early life on the planet.
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Enzyme discovery helps unravel decades-old ribosome mystery
After making a protein, ribosomes can be reused or decommissioned, which impacts possible protein-related diseases down the line. A study solves the mystery of the spent ribosomes’ fate and suggests a dynamic enzyme is vital for “quality control.”
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Quantum measurements induce new phases of entanglement
Researchers harness “quantum weirdness” to observe “spooky” measurement-induced phases of quantum information and teleportation in one of the largest digital quantum experiments to date.
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Study reveals location of starfish’s head
Research combining genetic and molecular techniques helped solve the riddle of starfish body plans. Starfish start life with bilateral body symmetry – just like humans – but grow up to be adults with fivefold “pentaradial” symmetry.
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Exotic quantum state matter visualized for the first time
Thanks to a new microwave-based imaging method, researchers successfully observed a material exhibiting fractionalized electric charges on its edges, ushering in new physics and potential applications.