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2,054,863 views | Brian Cox • TEDSalon London 2010

Why we need the explorers

In tough economic times, our exploratory science programs -- from space probes to the LHC -- are first to suffer budget cuts. Brian Cox explains how curiosity-driven science pays for itself, powering innovation and a profound appreciation of our existence.

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This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

In tough economic times, our exploratory science programs -- from space probes to the LHC -- are first to suffer budget cuts. Brian Cox explains how curiosity-driven science pays for itself, powering innovation and a profound appreciation of our existence.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

About the speaker

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Physicist Brian Cox has two jobs: working with the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, and explaining big science to the general public. He's a professor at the University of Manchester.