When the Labs Go Dark: What Scientific Research Actually Is — And Why Losing It Matters
In late January 2025, a communications pause rippled through the National Institutes of Health and into the hidden machinery of American science, delaying reviews, stalling timelines, and forcing researchers to make decisions in the dark. Most of us only see research when it becomes a cure, a technology, or a warning that keeps us safe. This is the story of what research actually is, why it takes so long, and what quietly breaks when the system that produces truth is treated like a switch that can be flipped on and off.
