"The National Science Foundation has been criticized for spending $384,949 on a Yale University study that examined, among other things, the particulars of male duck penises." So... yeah.
There are plenty examples of money being spent on 'strange' research. Most of which come up empty handed. However, on those few occasions where the research revolutionizes certain aspects of science, the money blown on the failed experiments seems inconsequential.
The Pentagon’s budget has risen for 13 years, which is unprecedented. Between 2001 and 2009, overall spending on defense rose from $412 billion to $699 billion, a 70 percent increase, which is larger than in any comparable period since the Korean War... So, yeah...
Agreed. I'd also like to add that if we turn the hindsight mirror on all government spending there's bound to be plenty that comes up worse (e.g. bridge to nowhere). Sometimes people get biased by the potential or scale of particular research. Plenty of money goes into physics/astrophysics/etc... with the intent of doing no more than furthering our general understanding of the universe. That duck wang research is there to further our general understanding of physiology. It's tough to say what might make a bigger impact on society. Though yea... its half a mil on duck wang research....
Just thought it was... interesting. I wonder what kind of resume you have to have to get put an assignment on this project.
