Federal support of basic research, such as this on fluorine chemistry, is critical to our future. They would not have occurred without that basic research, which was not undertaken to solve what was then an undefined problem. David M. Richman, North BethesdaThe writer worked in the Atomic Energy Commission office that supported the research cited. This rendering shows ozone concentrations above Antarctica. (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration via Associated Press)I was delighted to read in the July 1 news article “ ‘Hole’ in the ozone over Antarctica has begun to heal, researchers discover” that the Earth’s vital ozone layer “is getting better directly because of human choices and policies.”Nobel Prize-winning research sponsored by the Atomic Energy Commission in the late 1960s and early 1970s led to the ability to make those choices and policies.

Source: Washington Post July 03, 2016 23:26 UTC