Last year, Johns Hopkins spent a record $2.42 billion on research and development, $1 billion more than any other college or university in the country. That shouldn’t be surprising: Johns Hopkins has led the nation in R&D spending for 36 years running.
Those funds have gone to some of the research projects we’ve highlighted over the past year, including advancements in replacement body parts (prosthetic eyeballs! penis transplants!) and innovations in understanding disease. These all seem like worthy projects. But just as a thought experiment–what else could $2.42 billion buy you?
- A Picasso, Magritte, Modigliani — in fact, all the art sold by Sotheby’s and Christie’s combined this fall
- A terrorist army
- A serious commitment to clean energy
- The Los Angeles Clippers
- All the mayonnaise Americans eat in a year
