When scientists ask questions about how our world works, they are typically motivated by curiosity, not the promise of a new invention or medical treatment. They aim to shed light on the unknown. Yet this pursuit of basic understanding has laid the foundations for our most important technological advances.

Curiosity-driven science—also called basic science—is “essential to the nature of what it means to be human,” says Larry Gladney, Yale physicist and dean of science of the Yale Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS). Watch Professor Gladney and other members of FAS as they explore the importance of curiosity-driven science as individuals, researchers, and members of a global community.