It was a big step away from pure, basic research, sniffed some dons, but Friend argued it was the best way to drive his technology to market and fund improvements in the basic science along the way.

FORBES: Seeing the Light

It is probably fair to say that deep-sea research today is equally important to both pure and applied research, since the discovery of new species not only nurtures basic knowledge but is also likely to lead to the identification of new chemicals, which in turn tend to lead to new applications and new economic markets.

UNESCO: MEDIA SERVICES