10 scientific objects that changed the world

I went to Science museum in London this month, there are very good objects there.

To mark its centenary, the Science Museum in London had its curators select the ten objects in its collection that made the biggest mark on history. Explore them in this gallery, and cast your vote in the public poll to decide the most significant of all.

Apollo 10 capsule
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/3ac8ccd212ae.jpg[/atsimg]

Thompson’s Atmospheric Engine
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/12797b423b0c.jpg[/atsimg]

The electric telegraph
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/4bef15d0dc65.jpg[/atsimg]

Model T Ford
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/02d23baf7d21.jpg[/atsimg]

Pilot ACE Computer
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/c82642cc3a1d.jpg[/atsimg]

V2 rocket engine
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/699c6a1a473c.jpg[/atsimg]

Penicillin
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/d6c89181cc8f.jpg[/atsimg]

DNA double helix
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/1bc16fdf093e.jpg[/atsimg]

X-ray machine
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/73c688d58b1d.jpg[/atsimg]

Stephenson's Rocket
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/bf677e67a156.jpg[/atsimg]

Source: www.newscientist.com...

reply to post by sunny_2008ny


Sorry I think your wrong they all came after the one thing that changed are world and not perhaps for the better.

James Watt and his steam engine was the beginning of our modern world. Although it has too be said that Hero (or Heron) of Alexandria could have brought about that change in around 50AD if the world had been ready with his work in steam.

reply to post by MAC269

Sorry I think your wrong they all came after the one thing that changed are world and not perhaps for the better.

James Watt and his steam engine was the beginning of our modern world. Although it has too be said that Hero (or Heron) of Alexandria could have brought about that change in around 50AD if the world had been ready with his work in steam.

Thompson's was the first truly practical steam engine.

The atmospheric engine, first invented in 1712, solved the energy crisis of its day and heralded the start of the Industrial Revolution.

The engine unlocked previously unreachable coal reserves, by pumping water from deep mines.

Although this triumph of engineering arguably marks the start of the industrial age we still inhabit, it also marks the point that our dependence on fossil fuels really began.

Source: www.newscientist.com...

Penicillin wins hands down IMHO.. but I am biased being an Aussie!

IRM

I enjoyed the article and thought about a thread too. You beat me. The objects in the list are seriously important yet we can all probably think of a few more that could or should be in the list too.

I was thinking about the ones involving communication. They've made the world a much smaller place...

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/a7eea108f1bd.jpg[/atsimg]
The first practical cameras could capture scenes and places most people would have no experience of. International cities, tribes, Taj Mahal etc

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/4839e7628c74.jpg[/atsimg]
Affordable TVs. As detrimental to society as beneficial? It's all opinion. Definitely made a profound impact on societies across the world.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/4aa87f62423e.jpg[/atsimg]
Satellites. Neutral objects that can represent the good and bad intentions of humanity. Connecting the world, locating distressed ships or helping to deliver laser guided missiles.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/d3e7a3784ee6.jpg[/atsimg]
The infant Internet. Saving, enriching, killing and empowering lives. Like radio and TV to others, there's now a full generation that haven't known life without our global friend. Probably the best representation of all that's good and all that's bad about humanity. If you can imagine anything...somebody has a page already. Try 'blind, albino, midget, rodent, porn' it's probably out there somewhere.

All this talk about Global Villages needs a little salt too. It's not all multi-racial harmony and wishful images of respecting our brothers and sisters. I'm getting all philosophical and admiring the 'wonder of humanity' when it's never as simple as that. Some other scientific objects have made massive impacts on the course of human history too.

Here's just two...

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/2e9e3f069d45.jpg[/atsimg]
'Making all men equal.' The affordable handgun. The capacity to save a life or take a life.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/1c86a9c43b96.jpg[/atsimg]
AK-47. Weapon of choice for the freedom fighter and terrorist. Somali terrorist or Kenyan elephant poacher? The most mass-produced weapon in history has played a part in maybe a million deaths. Some 70million AKs have been manufactured officially.

I want the humble C90 to get a mention.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/807ca21f4b0b.jpg[/atsimg]

Amazing little bikes, a little heavy on the oil use but other than that fantastic design... Trying hard to put a scientific slant on it though... Tele lever front suspension? Almost unheard of until recently, the C90 is a 1950's bike remember! Still in production (In parts of the world anyways)

What about the Wheel, the tracktor, sliced bread

kind of funny that they have two objects related to space travel, and two related to steam power when there's nothing related to computing.

reply to post by sunny_2008ny


Ok I agree it just shows what a crap school I went too.

For the wheel it did change a lot did it. For five to seven thousand years it was handy but unlike the steam engine it didn’t totally change the world in a few decades.