At a US Senate hearing, Republicans highlighted Beijing’s rising research spending, while Democrats warned that Trump’s funding cuts could erode America’s ability to compete.
Stanford University professor Drew Endy told the hearing about a young scientist dressed in a large red crawfish costume. The researcher described work on enzymes that could break down crawfish shells for reuse in a future circular economy on Mars.
Endy said the researcher assumed Chinese astronauts would reach the planet and would want spicy crawfish soup, with the shells turned into fabric and other materials.
“That’s what we’re competing with,” Endy said. “The vibe is good in Beijing.”
