Ask HN: What are the greatest discoveries in the last few years? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: What are the greatest discoveries in the last few years?

#31

Post by jballanc » Wed, Jun 17, 2015, 2:18 PM UTC

new299 wrote: post #20

jballanc wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd argue that the discovery of Denisovans might be bigger than Neanderthal genes, but they're in the same ballpark. Modern sequencing technology has led to an explosion in discoveries about early human (and other organisms') evolution. Actually, I'd just put "rapid sequencing" right near the top of the list. When I started grad school (in 2003 if you must know), there was a feeling that it'd be very hard to get any…

> Now there's a plethora of technologies that are both faster and more accurate. Sorry to nitpick, but the inherent error rate of high throughput sequencing platforms is still higher than capillary sequencing. This is more than mitigated for by the massive throughput advantage though.

Right, thanks for clarifying that bit. An individual run still has a much higher error rate, but the ability to do exponentially more runs results in a higher accuracy per "experiment". This is not that dissimilar from the direction that other technologies have taken when facing physical measurement limits (cryo-electron tomography comes to mind, for example).

Re: Ask HN: What are the greatest discoveries in the last few years?

#32

Post by golergka » Wed, Jun 17, 2015, 2:25 PM UTC

gremlinsinc wrote: post #2

This sounds more like an AskReddit post than AskHN... but I'd say printable organs, smaller and smaller computer chips, commercialization of space flight, possible warp drive tech(may get us there in 100+ years, lol not expecting anything soon).. anti-aging (expected to double or triple life expectancy by 2050.) etc...

> AskReddit post than AskHN

What's the difference, apart from the quality of answers?

Re: Ask HN: What are the greatest discoveries in the last few years?

#33

Post by new299 » Wed, Jun 17, 2015, 2:27 PM UTC

jballanc wrote: post #31

new299 wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Now there's a plethora of technologies that are both faster and more accurate. Sorry to nitpick, but the inherent error rate of high throughput sequencing platforms is still higher than capillary sequencing. This is more than mitigated for by the massive throughput advantage though.

Right, thanks for clarifying that bit. An individual run still has a much higher error rate, but the ability to do exponentially more runs results in a higher accuracy per "experiment". This is not that dissimilar from the direction that other technologies have taken when facing physical measurement limits (cryo-electron tomography comes to mind, for example).

Yes, though there's the added complication of time to answer however.

You can turn a Sanger run around relatively quickly (I'd guess hours). High throughput runs sequence many millions of fragments of DNA in parallel very slowly. The highest throughput runs take several days to complete.

This means that it's there are still (rapidly diminishing) scenarios where Sanger sequencing makes sense. Because you don't need the throughput, and you want an answer quickly.

Re: Ask HN: What are the greatest discoveries in the last few years?

#34

Post by baldfat » Wed, Jun 17, 2015, 2:29 PM UTC

rs232 wrote: post #27

Protostome wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would first want to see people accept GMO crops. Then I'll be willing to think of people going to the doctor to change their eye color.

For some reason I believe that cosmetic gene modifications will be more readily accepted than GMOs.

^ This is it. I can be GMO as a human and have acme free skin? Thank you and here is your $25,000. This will be seen as medical benefit since it cures disease and I can have Green/Hazel eyes.

Seriously I refuse to eat Chipotle with their fear mongering Anti-GMO stance on the front window.

Re: Ask HN: What are the greatest discoveries in the last few years?

#35

Post by baldfat » Wed, Jun 17, 2015, 2:31 PM UTC

dragonwriter wrote: post #22

JoeAltmaier wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

More likely the first (profitable) applications will be: changing eye color, hair color, losing fat, changing height, changing skin tone. Billions in each market.

More likely, the first profitable applications will not have anything to do with editing the human genome, as bad been the case for every other technique useful for genetic engineering.

Curing Genetic Defects will be the first use starting with Children. OR they will have a gene that cures Diabetes which will cause a major change in millions of lives. I still think of CRISPER as the new graphine though. Awesome discovery with promise around the corner for years and years.

Re: Ask HN: What are the greatest discoveries in the last few years?

#36

Post by VLM » Wed, Jun 17, 2015, 2:32 PM UTC

Is reality invented or discovered? Is math invented or discovered? Was automata theory invented or discovered? OK well then is the quicksort algorithm invented or discovered? Is LISP invented or discovered? Is my code invented or discovered?

Re: Ask HN: What are the greatest discoveries in the last few years?

#37

Post by jonmc12 » Wed, Jun 17, 2015, 2:32 PM UTC

I thought the discovery of the quantity of distinct populations (~5k currently) and densities (relatively even) of upper-ocean viruses was perhaps an under-rated discovery that could lead to more advanced understanding of both the evolution of cellular organisms on earth and our current ecosystem. https://www.quantamagazine.org/20150521-ocean-viruses/

Re: Ask HN: What are the greatest discoveries in the last few years?

#38

Post by iamcurious » Wed, Jun 17, 2015, 2:43 PM UTC

rs232 wrote: post #27

Protostome wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would first want to see people accept GMO crops. Then I'll be willing to think of people going to the doctor to change their eye color.

For some reason I believe that cosmetic gene modifications will be more readily accepted than GMOs.

Plus, it will end racism and make anime hair color a reality.

Re: Ask HN: What are the greatest discoveries in the last few years?

#39

Post by jbrooksuk » Wed, Jun 17, 2015, 2:44 PM UTC

PaulRobinson wrote: post #7

I'd say that in terms of what we are able to do next, Graphene wins by a long way. Graphene is remarkable stuff, literally. I'd say in terms of impact on philosophy, religion and way of life, the large number of planets we're discovering.

How is it literally remarkable stuff?

Re: Ask HN: What are the greatest discoveries in the last few years?

#40

Post by mikeokner » Wed, Jun 17, 2015, 2:46 PM UTC

golergka wrote: post #32

gremlinsinc wrote: post #2

This sounds more like an AskReddit post than AskHN... but I'd say printable organs, smaller and smaller computer chips, commercialization of space flight, possible warp drive tech(may get us there in 100+ years, lol not expecting anything soon).. anti-aging (expected to double or triple life expectancy by 2050.) etc...

> AskReddit post than AskHN What's the difference, apart from the quality of answers?

If BuzzFeed could rip off the top few answers and combine them into one article "The 8 greatest discoveries of the past few years!", then it's probably not a great HN post.