Roberto Ragazzoni
ABSTRACT
To paraphrase one of Hofstadter's best works, this theme can be read in either direction, much like an Eternal Golden Braid. Scientific research has always benefited from the latest technological advancements, while simultaneously stimulating new ones.
Conversely, technological development has leveraged scientific discoveries to produce new and often completely unexpected results. At the same time, the quest for new technology has directed scientific research through a wide variety of channels. Astronomy, in particular, has often played a crucial and irreplaceable role in this dynamic.
We cannot deny that economic drivers—and at times in history, military ones—certainly contribute to technological development, even if the results are not always of great significance. However, curiosity-drivenresearch in fields far from everyday life or industrial needs has proven to play a nearly irreplaceable role. I will attempt to summarize some of the most striking cases, examine modern and—with a certain degree of speculation—future examples.