Scientific American
June 25, 2026
In the Scientific American, Robert Langer reflects on the resilience and curiosity behind scientific discovery in the United States. While he notes rising challenges to research funding and attracting the best talent, he says he finds optimism in America's 250 year-old tradition of learning, discovering and inventing even through periods of adversity, such as world wars and depressions.Langer encourages early-career scientists to stay ambitious. Rather than pursuing research that is "incremental and secure," he recommends taking a risk on "something that might be a really big idea and could change the world."
“I’m just a big believer in the resilience of people. I look at the history of American innovation and education over the past 250 years, and it’s been spectacular. Plenty of times there’ve been setbacks. We’ve had world wars, you know, we’ve had depressions, and people keep persisting and keep learning. They keep discovering and they keep inventing. So that gives me a lot of cause for hope.”
