About
Fundamental Science
Fundamental science is the pursuit of knowledge and information to better understand and explain natural phenomena. In astroparticle physics, this study is focused on furthering our understanding of the universe: how it was formed, why it behaves the way it does, and what accounts for the phenomenal we can’t currently explain.
From the earliest astronomers using rudimentary telescopes, humans have always been fascinated by the universe surrounding us and sought to better understand it. As we learn more and are able to see further back to the beginnings of the universe, the tools and techniques needed to tell us more become more sophisticated and necessitate innovation and investment.
Fundamental science is the human pursuit of knowledge in its purest form; the process by which we develop new theories and start to explain what we can’t understand. It is the first step in unearthing the mysteries of the universe.
We are at the point where further discovery and exploration require international collaborations, bringing together researchers, theorists, engineers, and technicians. Solving the mysteries of the universe requires carefully designed experiments that collect data over years, with refinements along the way. Often, the impact of these discoveries is not immediately apparent. The information is so new, it takes time to fit it into our existing understanding, to fully realize the implications of new knowledge. In addition to the scientific discoveries, the technologies developed along the way to make these experiments possible have applications in other areas that improve our lives. Modern communications, navigation, defense and security, and medical technique would be impossible were it not for the applications of what we learned from fundamental science in the past.