A-Listers, billionaires and scientists convene for annual Breakthrough Prize

Hollywood stars, billionaires and tech CEOs mingled with scientists at the annual Breakthrough Prize on Saturday (April 18).

The event, dubbed the Oscars of Science, celebrates scientists whose work has led to change in their fields and affected society.

This year, six $3 million prizes were given to scientific teams who have had breakthroughs in fundamental physics, mathematics, and life sciences.

However, the work of some of these scientists has been impeded by the cuts in funding to scientific research, brought in early last year by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Rosa Rademakers, who won her prize for finding the gene which links ALS and dementia, told Reuters, "It's very problematic because research is extremely expensive and for every experiment that works, there are many experiments that fail and this is just part of it. So yeah, we can't do any of it without funding."

Hollywood star Edward Norton, who attends the event every year, said, "So much we take for granted about what the United States has done in terms of leading in terms of technological development. We're handing it off. Even in the competitive sense, like they're setting us back."

Norton also wore a 'No Ice' pin to the event and was dismissive of people who say that celebrities should not get involved in politics.

"Am I not a citizen? Should I not care about brutality towards my neighbors or fellow citizens? I find it offensive that people think like, stay in your lane. Everybody should talk about it," he said.

 Malaysian star Michelle Yeoh also addressed the growing anti-science trend around the world.

"Don't just join in a crowd that is being negative about something," she said.

 "I think one should always try and learn more before you make a decision. I don't say I know what is right or wrong because the process of learning is very very important."

Attendees at the Breakthrough Prize included Ben Affleck, Robert Downey Jr., Christina Aguilera, Gal Gadot, Anne Hathaway, Bill Gates, Sam Altman as well as numerous CEOs and billionaires.

Production: Jack Ferry, Arafat Barbakh, Rollo Ross/Reuters