We have come a long way from wooden tools and basic civilizations with the help of scientific discoveries that changed the world for the better. While there have been several advancements over the centuries, some of these discoveries have greatly impacted our world and how we perceive it today. If you want to learn more about these scientific discoveries that changed the world, keep reading below.
6. Vaccines
Starting our list of scientific discoveries that changed the world are vaccines. The invention of vaccines has helped prevent several serious diseases to keep people safe. Today, people rarely get diseases like polio, and smallpox is gone. Dr. Edward Jenner created the first vaccine in 1796 by using infected material from a cowpox sore (similar to smallpox). Jenner inoculated an 8-year-old boy and found that while he didn’t feel well at first, the boy recovered from the illness and was protected from future infections.
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5. Gravity
Fifth on our list of scientific discoveries that changed the world is gravity. While Isaac Newton didn’t actually get hit on the head with an apple, the action of the apple falling from the tree did spark an idea within Newton. This led the mathematician and physicist to discover gravity at 23 years old. Later, Newton would publish his book Principia, which expanded on his laws of universal gravitation and his three laws of motion, laying the foundation for modern physics.
4. Big Bang Theory
Next on our list of scientific discoveries that changed the world is the Big Bang Theory. One of the most widely accepted theories concerning the beginning of the universe states that around 13.7 billion years ago, all matter in the universe was condensed into one small point until a massive explosion threw the contents of the universe into space. The notion first started with Georges Lemaître, a Belgian cosmologist and Catholic priest. While his paper first went unnoticed in 1927, other researchers realized the universe was expanding and recognized Lemaître’s findings.
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3. Penicillin
Rounding out the top three scientific discoveries that changed the world is penicillin. The antibiotic is prescribed to millions of patients each year and has become one of the most recognizable in the health industry. Penicillin was discovered in 1928 by Alexander Fleming when he realized a fungus, Penicillium notatum, had contaminated a culture plate with Staph bacteria. The fungus had created bacteria-free areas on the plate, and after multiple trials, the antibiotic was used widely during World War II.
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2. Evolution
Second on our list of scientific discoveries that changed the world is evolution. The theory suggests that organisms change and adapt to their environment at the genetic level from one generation to the next. This process can take millions of years, and was first determined by naturalist Charles Darwin. Noticing the differences in beaks on finches at the Galapagos Islands, Darwin has since been referred to as the Father of Evolution. Though the theory has changed over the years since 1859, he laid the framework for modern scientists.
1. DNA
Last but not least on our list of scientific discoveries that changed the world is DNA. Changing our understanding of life more than changing the world itself, DNA was first discovered in 1869 by Swiss physician Friedrich Miescher. He identified what is referred to as a “nuclein” in blood cells. Later, in the 1950s, James Watson and Francis Crick were awarded the Nobel Prize for their research about the double helix of DNA, but they most likely stole research without permission from chemist Rosalind Franklin.
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