I don't see any reason to be so dismissive.

Scientific pursuits have an extremely steep risk profile and are systematically underfunded because nobody knows how to capture the value that comes out of them. If someone wants to chase one on their own dime, we should celebrate that contribution to society rather than dwell on the fact that the median (even 99th percentile) outcome is that the project goes nowhere and the person continues on to retirement proper. The mean outcome could be very different and the benefit of the doubt costs us nothing, so why not give it?