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You're listening to Shortwave from NPR.

It is the end of the year, and if we are taking stock of winners and losers in 2025,

science is definitely on the loser list. The Trump administration disrupted federal funding for all kinds of scientific pursuits. And to talk about the implications of those

cuts, I've brought in NPR Health and Science Correspondents Rob Stein and Katie Riddle. Hey to you

both. Hey, Emily. Hi. Hi. Okay, where do you want to start? Well, in the spirit of taking stock, I think it's only

fitting that we start with a little history of science in America. All right. Starting with

World War II, because World War II really was a turning point in our investment in science.

Cool. How so? So at the turn of the 20th century, there really wasn't necessarily a marriage between science and government.

But that changed around the time, like you said, of World War II.

As part of that war effort, the U.S. plowed money into scientific research, and it led to advancements like penicillin becoming widely available and the development of the first nuclear weapons.

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