[foobarbecue]

How do you know it won't cure cancer? Marie Curie checked out some invisible physics and discovered radioactivity. Now we use it to treat cancer.

I suspect that practical outcomes and technologies arising from understanding dark matter will be huge.

Also, I think you're missing the point of astronomy. "astronomers" today are generally astrophysicists or planetary scientists, and they are studying fundamental, mostly invisible, processes and substances.

[sanxiyn]

> I suspect that practical outcomes and technologies arising from understanding dark matter will be huge.

I doubt it. More than 50 years after discovery of neutrinos, we are yet to find any practical outcomes or technologies.

[cygx]

So you're saying a better understanding of nuclear reactions has not had practical implications? Just because the particle itself is 'useless' from a technological perspective doesn't imply the same is true for the accompanying theory...

[smallnamespace]

Maybe not neutrinos specifically, but muon detectors are now being used for archaeology.

[dwaltrip]

The neutrino is part of the standard model. The dark matter may easily be entirely new physics, outside of the standard model. The implications may be enormous.

Moreover, even if the dark matter itself doesn't itself lead directly to to new tech, it is very likely that subsequent discoveries will.

[cozzyd]

Neutrinos theoretically can be used for nonproliferation at least :).