A New Ivory Tower

Click to launch slideshowA type of research institute once thought extinct rises again on the banks of the Potomac

By John Carey

America once had a group of famous research laboratories, fueled by monopoly profits and dedicated to extending the frontiers of knowledge. The most prominent: Bell Labs. In industry, such institutions have fallen victim to the relentless drive to slash costs and shore up profits. And universities, many experts believe, can't fill the gap.

But now there's a new monument to basic research. For $500 million, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute has built what Director Gerald Rubin describes as an ivory tower and an experiment in social engineering. Its goal is to discover, in unprecedented detail, exactly what goes on in the minds of living creatures.

The building itself is an architectural marvel, designed to foster the type of interdisciplinary science that leads to breakthroughs. Take a look:

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