Elon Musk wants to cut down on wasteful science. But that science has a point.

When people feel economically pinched, they often try to clean house. The obsession with efficiency is of course why many people might be excited that President-elect Donald Trump has announced he is appointing Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to head a “Department of Government Efficiency”. They also create an environment for surprising new discoveries, things scientists would never have dreamed of had they not been in the lab, conducting basic research. People seem very upset about the idea that the government is spending money spraying bobcat pee on rats, but here’s the thing: There are many rodent studies that waft bobcat pee, cat hair, fox odor, and more at mice. When people pull out these examples of inefficiency, mocking the seemingly silly “wastes” of government funding, what they are really showing is their ignorance.