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15:15>> Very very cool. >> This is fasc. So, you know, as always, like, you know, I'm the I'm the alien guy and this is great. But we're going to move quickly because this is a rundown episode and we have a big pseudo deep dive at the end. But before we do so, we're going to do a quick piece of housekeeping for those listening to us on Spotify and Apple. We greatly appreciate your ears in your commute to work as you're working through cleaning up the house, whatever it might be. One of the ways you can help support the continued coverage that we do on this show is a quick five-star review, sharing it with a friend, bring it to Journal Club. For those of you watching, we always, if you can, recommend

15:56watching because each episode we go through 25 to 65 different overlays where we actually show what's happening and it really helps to understand what's going on when you can see it. But we are trying to work on making sure for our audio listeners that we describe as much as possible. Again, a like, a share, a comment. Any of these engagements helps us win the battle against the billionaire algorithm. If you'd like to support the pod more directly, you can either donate directly at ffpod.com/donate or you can go to our new shop where you can buy some of our great merch. We are

16:38going to be dawning that merch more frequently on the pod so we can shill accordingly. But as you all know, it's the two of us here bringing the greatest and the best newest science discoveries to you every week. And any support that we get from our great FFP nation is much appreciated. Speaking of money as it relates to science, our second story is going to be about funding policy in the United States as it relates to science. Every time we cover a study on the show, um could be genetics, medicine, physics,

17:19space, we always talk about the final product, >> which is the published paper and usually the history and the buildup to that. Um, but what we don't talk about or see is the federal funding system that actually enables a lot of this fundamental research to happen. The number one funer of basic research for the American ecosystem is the federal government and it's what makes it possible. And there's a recent controversy that's risen around this. But before we get there, I thought it might be helpful to briefly talk about the basic process because many folks might not understand how this

17:59works. So in the US, Congress has what's known as the power of the purse or if you're from Boston, pocketbook, >> but for the rest of us, the purse. The president proposes a budget. Every year at the beginning of the year they he proposes a b he or she proposes a budget but Congress ultimately decides how federal agencies are legally permitted to spend money and for what purposes. So the executive branch has all these responsibilities but money and where it gets spent. Congress ultimately is decided there. OM which is the white house office of management and budget helps to execute the budget that is fundamentally decided by Congress. a

18:40portions funding to executive agencies and sets governmentwide rules about how that money can be spent. So, Congress says here's what here's the money and who can spend it and then OM kind of just distributes. >> Yeah. >> Uh how that goes and this is how federal grants especially in research but not only in research are administered. >> Okay. Um,