Studying Lizard Spit Yields Big Results

It’s fashionable to pluck some odd study out of a budget request, and then make fun of it.  

Rarely noted is how often pure science — seemingly without clear purpose — yields spectacular results.

For instance, a study of lizard saliva turned into a peptide medication, which was turned into a diabetes medication, which was turned into a GLP1 weight loss drug (Ozempic), that just became the first therapy every approved for sleep apnea (Zepbound).