So asking for that kind of money for only scientific research or exploration, even if it would eventually pay back several times the investment, would not be an easy sell. But there might be another reason to go, one that could swing the argument in its favour. And it involves something of a surprising and indirect stepping stone. Literally.
The development of different bees from the same DNA in the larvae is one of the clearest examples of epigenetics in action - mechanisms that go beyond the basic DNA sequence," said co-author Mark Dickman from the University of Sheffield.
"From our knowledge of how the histone code works with in other organisms, we think the marks on the histone proteins might act as one of the switches that control how the larvae develop."
"They were saying 'Don't friend this girl, it's one of the teachers' - they grow up thinking this sort of thing is more normal but it is unbelievable."
One of the teachers killed in the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School was killed after reportedly hiding some children and then lying to the gunman that they were elsewhere in the school.
Ratan Tata, one of India's most internationally-recognised business leaders, will soon step down as chairman of Tata Sons, after more than 20 years heading the group.
And one doesn't have to belong to a sect to find these predictions compelling. Humankind's ongoing fascination with the apocalypse is evident in mainstream popular culture.
Air Bagan is one of handful of privately owned carriers flying domestic routes in Burma. The airline operated two Fokker-100 jets, which are no longer being manufactured.
With just two days to go until Christmas, rail services have been suspended and many roads are flooded. In Devon, one woman was rescued by a police helicopter after she was swept away by floodwater and left clinging to a tree.
