The method for making the radioisotope Tc99m readily available to hospitals was developed at Brookhaven. It is now used over 12 million times a year in the U. S. alone to diagnose various diseases. The Thallium stress test for diagnosing heart disease was developed at Brookhaven. The pink grapefruit resulted from work at Brookhaven. High efficiency oil burners resulted from testing at Brookhaven.
Basic research is the building block for new technologies and practical applications.
Without it important and lifesaving technologies would not exist. There are many examples of the vital role basic research plays in product development. At Brookhaven the researchers who developed the technique for making the radioisotope Technetium99m readily available requested a patent, but the Atomic Energy Commission chose not to proceed seeing no practical use for it. It is now used in medical diagnosis over 12 million times a year. It is hard to know how long it will be between a discovery in basic science and a practical application, but the key to successful applied research is the underlying basic research and technology development.