• BygoneNeutrino@lemmy.world
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    6 hours ago

    I’ve seen penicillin and insulin mentioned quite a bit in these comments, but these two compounds were relatively low hanging fruits.

    Penicillin in particular is an interesting example. While it’s development might have been in public institutions, it was largely the product of obscene defense expenditure. Things wouldn’t have worked out like they did if it didn’t have military applications.

    Thats the thing about government research. Governments have narrow interests, and the average voter isn’t equipped to see the bigger picture. They’d prefer tax breaks over research if given an option. They wouldn’t want to pay for the research, but they’d expect the product of that research to be given for free.