What could be the most important scientific discoveries? The answer to this question will not be the same for everyone. While some people will think of mathematical developments first, others will remember developments in medicine. Ultimately, however, it’s hard to imagine where humanity would end up without the important discoveries and inventions we’ve witnessed in the past few centuries.
Many developments have greatly improved our lives and extended our longevity. However, while many technical developments benefit humanity, some of them come to the forefront with their harms rather than benefits. In short, let’s take a look at some of the most important discoveries and inventions together…
The most important scientific discoveries: Penicillin
From the moment someone knocked a rock to the ground to make the first sharp-edged tool, to the invention of the wheel, humanity made great strides. As a result, we are now at a point where we have invented rovers that conduct research on Mars and other planets.
Scientific discoveries were further accelerated by the development of the Internet. A few important developments in particular are considered revolutionary. One of them is penicillin. Yes, penicillin is considered very, very important to human history.
Before 1928, infections that we now consider harmless were capable of destroying entire communities. Alexander Fleming’s development of the world’s first antibiotic, penicillin, is truly revolutionary! Fleming developed the first antibiotic by growing molds and fungi in his lab work.
Antibiotics have since been used to fight a number of infections. These drugs continue to be developed. Indeed, it was a great discovery that increased human longevity and quality of life.
What are X-rays? Why is it important?
In 1895, German physicist Wilhelm Roentgen made an important scientific discovery in the history of medicine. The discovery of X-rays (X-ray) has become one of the most innovative milestones in the medical profession. For this reason, Roentgen received the first Nobel Prize in physics.
X-rays work directly through materials such as meat or wood. But most importantly, it is stopped by substances such as bone and metal. In this way, doctors examining an image were able to detect broken bones. It is also an important invention in terms of security. Because it shows the inside of suspicious suitcases and packages.
There are also controversial scientific discoveries: the atomic bomb
The atomic bomb is indeed a great invention, but a highly controversial topic. Because the great harm it has done to humanity has been on our agenda for years. It went down in history as the development that devastatingly ended the Second World War. Because it caused the death of thousands of people in Japan.
This discovery also spearheads the nuclear arms race that continues to this day. In the early 1940s, the first steps were taken when a team of the world’s leading scientists came together to figure out how to refine uranium to make the atomic bomb.
Known as the Manhattan Project, it took just five years for the team to develop this weapon of prolonged destruction. As a result, the USA caused the death of thousands of people due to the atomic bombs dropped on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan.
Fortunately, these events in 1945 did not continue. Although many countries go for nuclear armament, it remains the only occasion where atomic bombs are used in warfare.
The theory of evolution changed the understanding
In 1859, the English naturalist Charles Darwin proposed the theory of evolution. Thus, he forever changed the idea of how life on Earth evolved. For this reason, the theory of evolution is among the most important scientific discoveries. Darwin’s theory is at odds, especially with those who embrace the idea of creationism.
Darwin suggested that all organisms evolve at a slow rate over time. He argued that evolution allowed a species to adapt to and survive in a changing environment. If a species cannot adapt then it risks extinction. This is a process that Darwin called natural selection.
Of course, gravity is among the most important scientific discoveries!
Considered by many to be the greatest scientist of all time, British mathematician and physicist Isaac Newton made one of the world’s most important discoveries. Newton is best known for discovering the law of universal gravitation, in short, gravity.
In 1664, Newton realized that gravity is the force that pulls objects towards each other. He explained why the planets revolved around the sun. We have already published a content that explains this subject for you before. You can read Newton’s discovery of gravity in detail.
However, the development of the Internet is one of the most important inventions in human history. In addition, the development of artificial intelligence and studies in the field of DNA are also very important. CRISPR gene editing technology should not be forgotten either. The developments in all these areas are truly groundbreaking. We will see together what will happen in the future…
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