The patent getting snatched up by cosmetics and then re-discovered almost 50 years later makes me wonder how many cool advancements have been lost to industries that couldn't find any value from them.
In many fields there are waves with the patent expiration cycle, for instance 3D printing or VR. As the patents expire there is a flurry of new research, everyone obtains new patents and it becomes impossible to create viable products again, until the patents expire and the cycle begins again.
To better uphold their original purpose, perhaps the patent rights period should be shortened to 6 years or thereabouts.