Top 5 scientific discoveries in the 20th C
Discussion
The 20thC was a great Century for scientific discoveries, at the turn of the century people traveled by horse and cart and canals on Mars were the topic of the day. Atoms were still whole atoms and looked like a pie from the bakers shop. 
Given 118 years of hindsight, what would be you top 5 scientific discoveries of the 20thC?
Given 118 years of hindsight, what would be you top 5 scientific discoveries of the 20thC?
Interesting question.
Many things that first come to mind like supersonic flight are inventions rather than discoveries. If we stick to discoveries - ie something that was already there - I'd go for:
Penicillin
DNA
- and many other medical advances.
Would 'nuclear power' be an invention or a discovery?
Many things that first come to mind like supersonic flight are inventions rather than discoveries. If we stick to discoveries - ie something that was already there - I'd go for:
Penicillin
DNA
- and many other medical advances.
Would 'nuclear power' be an invention or a discovery?
Simpo Two said:
It makes you think that most of what the 20th C was noted for were inventions - powered flight, jet engines, Saturn V, computers and many more.
What have we invented or discovered so far in the 21st C? Social media and several more sexes.
The discovery of gravitational waves is a pretty big one.What have we invented or discovered so far in the 21st C? Social media and several more sexes.
Personally, I'd say that barring penicillin and nuclear fission, most of the significant scientific discoveries were made pre-20th century. But it was only in the 20th century that these discoveries were properly understood and mass-implemented in the form we see today.
A fascinating TV series to watch is "How We Got to Now" by Steven Johnson, which explores the origins of inventions like refrigeration, cleanliness, sound, light, from basic beginnings to the modern day and the impact it has had.
A fascinating TV series to watch is "How We Got to Now" by Steven Johnson, which explores the origins of inventions like refrigeration, cleanliness, sound, light, from basic beginnings to the modern day and the impact it has had.
However many inventions are based on a scientific discover; so for example liquid crystals are a discovery that led to LCD the invention. Semiconductor materials were a discovery that led to Transistors & Diodes (inc LED). In others the boundary between discovery or an invention is even more blurry, such as cavity resonators.
- Antibiotics
- Double Helix structure of DNA
- Cavity resonators
- Relativity, both general and special
- Semiconductors
Edited by 4x4Tyke on Monday 5th November 13:39
easier to go to whole fields rather than individual discoveries (too many to cover, particularly in physics and biology, but):
relativity
quantum mechanics
X-ray crystallography (chosen because this single technology/discovery enabled huge advances in both chemistry (e.g. structure of penicillin, development of "designer" drugs and biochemistry (structure of DNA, proteins, understanding of enzymes, etc. etc.)).
the first exoplanet
atomic fission and fusion
relativity
quantum mechanics
X-ray crystallography (chosen because this single technology/discovery enabled huge advances in both chemistry (e.g. structure of penicillin, development of "designer" drugs and biochemistry (structure of DNA, proteins, understanding of enzymes, etc. etc.)).
the first exoplanet
atomic fission and fusion
Edited by Polite M135 driver on Monday 5th November 13:35
4x4Tyke said:
However many inventions as backed by a scientific discover
Reminds me of the old joke about the ancient Greek and the ancient Roman arguing about which culture contributed the most to civilisation. The Greek bloke said ‘We discovered sex’ to which the Roman replied ‘Yes, but we invented the idea of doing it with women’.Gassing Station | Science! | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff