Nobel prizes were awarded this week for the discovery of dark energy, which accounts for roughly 70% of the universe. Amazing that we know that something is there, effecting the rest of the visible universe by causing it to speed apart from itself but we still have no idea what it is and why it is there. Combine that with dark matter and we're talking about 95% of the universe we have no idea about. Great line at the end of this article:
The case for investment in science often rests on the connection between technology and economic development, or national defense, or relief from suffering and disease. These are good arguments. Everybody wants to be rich and safe and immortal. But even in stringent times, it seems like a good idea to do some science to find out what the world is made of and how it works.
