Rising research tide lifts math, physical sciences

The preservation and new significance of a once-obscure mathematical field known as Knot Theory is cited today as an example of the importance of basic research and its funding by the federal government. Knot Theory is now being used by genetic scientists as they race to understand how the orientation of tangled DNA strands affects DNA's functioning. With its mathematical description of knots, the theory is an unlikely tool for today's advanced geneticists. It was actually invented a century ago to help describe what was then thought of as the cosmic "ether" that surrounded all things. For many years Knot Theory was forgotten by all but a few mathematicians. Thankfully, university researchers kept it alive, and now it is helping to unravel some of the most interesting and exciting problems of our times.