Last Updated on March 8, 2023 by Dr Bucho
Introduction
Scientific Progress: Human history is a tale of unrelenting advancement and invention, from the discovery of fire to the invention of the internet. Our modern world has been significantly shaped by science, which has helped us understand the fundamental principles of nature, solve the mysteries of the cosmos, and develop ground-breaking technologies that have revolutionized every aspect of our existence.
But how far have we really progressed in terms of science? How much knowledge do we have of the world around us? In this investigation, we examine the outstanding accomplishments of science and consider the difficulties that still face us in our pursuit of knowledge and understanding.
Scientific Progress: Some Inventions and Discoveries From 2000 to 2023
Playstation 2 in 2000
Sony Computer Entertainment is the company that created and markets the PlayStation 2 (PS2). The first release dates were 4 March 2000 in Japan, 26 October 2000 in North America, 24 November 2000 in Europe, and 30 November 2000 in Australia. It is the replacement for the first PlayStation.
Wikipedia in 2001
Since its founding in 2001, Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia, has emerged as a key resource for obtaining answers online. One of the complete information sources is the platform’s user-generated model, which enables anyone to add to and amend its articles. Even if the architecture of the platform might occasionally result in inaccurate or biased articles, the fact that it has been ad-free for almost two decades speaks much about its dedication to offering unbiased information.
IEEE 802.16 [Broadband Pioneer Technology] in 2002
A group of wireless broadband standards known as IEEE 802.16 was created by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). In order to create standards for broadband for wireless metropolitan area networks, the IEEE Standards Board organized a working group in 1999.
The Human Genome Project in 2003
The Human Genome Project is an international research effort whose main goals are to identify all 50,000–100,000 genes found in the human genome, decipher the chemical sequence of the complete human genetic material (i.e., the entire genome), and provide research tools to analyze all this genetic data. The Human Genome Project, which was finally finished on April 14, 2003, laid the groundwork for future medical advancements and greater knowledge of our origins. It’s even more wonderful because it’s accessible to everyone online.
Facebook in 2004
In February 2004, Mark Zuckerberg, a Harvard student, launched “thefacebook.com,” a social networking site initially restricted to his fellow classmates. Over time, the platform grew in popularity and expanded to include users outside of Harvard. By its 10-year anniversary, Facebook had become a global phenomenon with 1.23 billion monthly users, accounting for 17 percent of the world’s population. The platform has revolutionized the way people interact and share information online. However, Facebook has also faced significant criticism and controversy.
Google Maps in 2005
Google Maps, which launched in 2005, revolutionized the way we navigate the world. Combining a dynamic, searchable online map with turn-by-turn driving instructions, Google Maps made stopping and asking for directions a thing of the past. Two years later, Google added Street View, which allowed users to see 360-degree street-level views of houses, roads, and landmarks. The company sent out cars, trekkers, and bots to capture these images from around the world.
Wii in 2006
The Wii Remote, which was introduced by Nintendo in November 2006 and employs optical sensors and gesture recognition to mimic a player’s real-world actions within the context of a game, from tennis to Mario Kart, is the Wii’s standout feature. Regardless of what your parents say, this generation of video games is more physically taxing and absorbing than previous ones, and it represents a significant advancement in the integration of real-world and virtual activities.
iPhone in 2007
The iPhone, which was first released in 2007, is one of its most notable creations. The iPhone’s user-friendly interface, svelte form, and ground-breaking features revolutionized the smartphone market. Steve Jobs prank calls a neighboring Starbucks and orders 4,000 lattes to announce Apple’s first smartphone. The iPhone, which has sold more than 2.2 billion units as of this writing, is also the first American smartphone without a physical keypad.
Large Hadron Collider in 2008
The LHC, operated by the European Organization for Energy Research (CERN), debuted in 2008 as the biggest and most potent particle accelerator in existence, with the ability to accelerate energy beams nearly as quickly as light. The 2013 Nobel Prize in Physics goes to Peter Higgs, the particle’s namesake (who disapproves of it being called “The God Particle”), for this improvement in our knowledge of the characteristics of matter.
Bitcoin in 2009
The first well-known cryptocurrency, an encrypted peer-to-peer payment system with anonymity, is introduced by the eponymous Satoshi Nakamoto. In order to decentralize and verify payments, Bitcoin uses blockchain computing. This technology is almost tamper- (and justification-) proof. The total supply of Bitcoin is limited to 21 million in order to prevent inflation. As more are “mined,” a computing process that consumes massive amounts of power, the currency’s supply grows. In December 2017, when the currency’s value was at its highest, one Bitcoin was worth almost $19,000 USD.
The First Synthetic ‘Life’ in 2010
At the J. Craig Venter Institute, researchers produced the first living being with a fully synthetic genome in 2010. This development might be the starting point towards creating synthetic life. Computer-designed genomes are put together in a lab and can work in a donor cell to reproduce completely functional living things.
More than one million base pairs of DNA were used to build the Mycoplasma mycoides bacterium’s genome. Then, Mycoplasma capricolum, which had been stripped of its genome, received the transplanted genome. In the end, the machinery of the Mycoplasma capricolum translated the directives and created naturally existing Mycoplasma mycoides.
Curiosity Rover in 2011
The November 2011 launch of the Curiosity from Cape Canaveral and its August 2012 arrival on Mars was made famous by the meme-worthy haircut of flight director (and later, Popular Mechanics contributor) Bobak Ferdowsi. The rover’s mission is to explore Mars’s environment and ascertain whether it is suitable for microbial (and conceivably human) life. It is the most sophisticated rover to have ever set foot on Mars, and it can gather environmental samples and comprehensive imagery for analysis and return to Earth.
Google’s Machine Learning Project in 2012
According to the New York Times, a cluster of 16,000 computers has trained itself how to recognize a cat as part of Google’s deep learning study. These developments may encourage the tech sector to take artificial intelligence and machine learning projects more seriously. Examples include self-driving car technology, software for automatic Facebook tagging and Face ID, and technology that will enable voice assistants like Alexa to become smarter over time.
Robot “Atlas” in 2013
“Atlas,” is a humanoid robot developed by Boston Dynamics in 2013. Atlas stands approximately 1.5 meters tall and weighs around 80 kilograms. It is designed to operate both indoors and outdoors, with a range of sensors and cameras that allow it to navigate and interact with its environment. Atlas is capable of performing a wide range of tasks, including walking, running, jumping, and even backflips.
Hemopurifier in 2014
Aethlon Medical created the Hemopurifier, a medical device that was initially unveiled in 2014. It is made to clean the blood of people who have contracted a viral disease like HIV or Ebola of viruses and other infectious organisms. Using a particular affinity molecule that clings to virus particles, the gadget purges the blood of those particles using a customized filter.
Reusable Rockets in 2015
Blue Origin, founded by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, developed and launched its first reusable rocket, the New Shepard, in 2015. SpaceX, founded by entrepreneur Elon Musk, developed the Falcon 9 rocket which was launched for the first time in 2015. The Falcon 9 was designed to be reusable, with the first stage of the rocket being capable of landing back on Earth after its mission, ready to be refurbished and reused for future launches.
Oculus Rift [Virtual Reality Devices] in 2016
The first virtual reality headgear from Palmer Luckey’s business was made available in 2016. The inside of goggles has high-resolution screens that display stereoscopic images to simulate normal sight and trick the user’s brain into believing they are seeing something real—even if that real thing is a huge killer robot. Although the headgear is primarily designed as a gaming accessory, it has now been modified for applications as diverse as medical training and driving instruction.
Bioprinting in 2017
Physical chemist and author David E. H. Jones first proposed the idea of 3D printing in 1974, and it has since developed into one of the most well-known inventions of the last ten years. In order to stabilize a struggling baby’s breathing, a team led by otolaryngologist Glenn Green in 2012 created one of the first synthetic tracheas using bioengineering. The successful construction and transplantation of a thyroid into a rat by the Russian business 3D Bioprinting Solutions in 2017 marked yet another significant advancement.
The Ocean Cleanup Project in 2018
The Ocean Cleanup project’s prototype 001 was first introduced in a TED talk by Boyan Slat and debuted in Southeast Asia in 2018. One of the largest ecological crises caused by humans today is being addressed by the Ocean Cleanup Project: the millions of pounds of plastic and trash that are clogging our oceans and rivers and contaminating our water and food supply.
Following the 001’s testing, the project released a number of improvements to put their self-contained waste collection technologies to the test once more. Since then, the company has created newer, more reliable models, and it is currently extending its cleanup operations globally.
First Black Hole Image in 2019
A black hole in the M87 galaxy’s center was seen in 2019 by the Event Horizon Telescope. According to the image, which appears to show a brilliant ring of light around a wide area of darkness, scientists may now determine how the cosmos came into being. In 2020, the researchers received the Breakthrough Prize, one of the top accolades in science.
World’s Largest Supercomputer SpiNNaker in 2020
The largest supercomputer in the world, called SpiNNaker, was built with the goal of thinking like a human brain.
More than any other gadget on the earth, it is a Spiking Neural Network design that can represent different biological machines.
With each of its processors containing 100 million transistors, SpiNNaker can complete more than 200 million operations in a second.
AI-developed Antibodies in 2021
One of the greatest breakthroughs of 2021, which has the potential to produce pharmaceuticals using artificial intelligence, is about to be released. In order to aid doctors in the fight against sickness, this medication uses AI to speed up the production of new antibodies.
Chat Gpt Launched In 2022
An artificial intelligence chatbot named ChatGPT was created by OpenAI and released in November 2022. It has been improved (a method of transfer learning) by utilizing both supervised and reinforcement learning strategies. It is based on the OpenAI GPT-3 family of big language models.
CRISPR for high cholesterol in 2023
The cholesterol-lowering medication, created by Verve Therapeutics, uses base editing, often known as “CRISPR 2.0,” which is a type of gene editing. It’s a more focused strategy because researchers can now switch out one DNA nucleotide for another rather than just creating incisions to turn off particular genes. Theoretically, this should be safer because you can avoid potential errors that can arise when DNA repairs itself after being cut, and you’re less likely to accidentally remove an important gene.
Conclusion
New discoveries and technologies have revolutionized the ways in which we live, work, and interact with the world around us over the past two decades, during which there has been a phenomenal advancement in science. The emergence of social media and the internet, as well as the development of new medical technology, have all changed how we view science and its place in society. There is obviously still a lot to learn and a lot of new technologies to be developed as we look to the future.
We may be confident that the coming few decades will deliver even more fascinating and game-changing developments if we continue to invest in science and technology. There are countless possibilities, and we can only speculate about the new frontiers we may discover in the upcoming year
Frequently Asked Questions(FAQ)
Why National Science Day is celebrated?
Every year on February 28 to honor the discovery of the “Raman Effect,” National Science Day is honored. The eminent Indian scientist CV Raman received the Nobel Prize in 1930 for creating the “Raman Effect” on this day.
Why is National Science Day Important to us?
Because the first National Science Day was observed in India in 1987, and since then it has been observed and celebrated annually with the goal of supporting scientific innovation and fostering a scientific mindset in the nation.
Reference: Popular Mechanics
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