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?

#91

Post by dragonwriter » Wed, Jun 17, 2015, 5:38 PM UTC

at-fates-hands wrote: post #58

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.

While this is a hot button topic, I've seen some pretty horrible things Monsanto has done to farmers. Accepting GMO crops would mean accepting Monsanto who has a monopoly on the industry and are well know for using sketchy tactics when dealing with farmers resistant to using their seeds.

> Accepting GMO crops would mean accepting Monsanto

No, actually, accepting GMO crops could quite well go along with targeting specific unliked business practices engaged in by Monsanto.

> who has a monopoly on the industry

No, they don't. They are the biggest player, but there a numerous others, several not much smaller.

(There's some concerns that the relations within the industry are cartel-like, and I wouldn't be surprised to see the industry get some anti-trust scrutiny, but "Monsanto has a monopoly" -- on the GMO crop industry, rather than the market for particular poorly-substitutable kinds of crops -- is not at all the case.)

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

#92

Post by iamcurious » Wed, Jun 17, 2015, 5:40 PM UTC

mod wrote: post #72

iamcurious wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

I'm not sure I agree with ending racism. Maybe you were being tongue-in-cheek. I mean, presumably someday far in the future, everyone will have access to the ability to alter fully their entire genome. I would think in the next XX years, though, there will be plenty of remaining distinguishing features beyond skin color, and more importantly, plenty of people without the money to make any changes. Besides that, I'm h…

>Maybe you were being tongue-in-cheek.

Just a bit.

>plenty of people without the money to make any changes.

>I speculate class will lead the charge next.

Exactly, it transforms the race problem into a class problem. People will probably discriminate based on how many designer genes you have. With time, most governments (not necessarily the US) will realize how much they can save by giving people healthy genes from the start, and it won't be as much of a class divide.

Fads will come and go regarding some group of genes being better from such task or other. Like diets and workouts today, it will become tiresome for most people quickly enough.

This is good. In the last century we transformed race from a military problem to a political problem. In this century it will become a technical problem. There will be plenty of nastiness, but each step reduces nastiness by an order of magnitude.

>I'm hopeful that we'll still retain diversity

We will win a whole new diversity. There will be people with chameleon skin walking among us in this century.

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

#93

Post by AC__ » Wed, Jun 17, 2015, 5:40 PM UTC

AC__ wrote: post #73

Vampires! Technically speaking, parabiosis. Although it is not actually a new discovery at all, personally I'm convinced there are humans who have already transfused young blood plasma(as the linked article points out illegal stem cell transplants are common as well). Yeah, that's right, vampires. http://www.nature.com/news/ageing-research-blood-to-blood-1....

Down-voters know I am on to them...

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

#94

Post by AC__ » Wed, Jun 17, 2015, 5:41 PM UTC

pault wrote: post #78

AC__ wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I went a massive life extension technology reading binge a few months back, IMHO it is, right now, possible to extend human life indefinitely.

Do you have a recommended reading list?

Just off the top of my my head: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DRACO_%28antiviral%29 CRISPR as mentioned, anything nano(robotics, surgery etc.), as well as stem cell tech.

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

#95

Post by jobu » Wed, Jun 17, 2015, 5:43 PM UTC

unusximmortalis wrote: post #82

Researchers at Audi are making synthetic diesel fuel using only water and air. Miracle? No. Science. http://money.cnn.com/2015/04/28/technology/audi-diesel-air-w...

Neat! It looks like "e-diesel" may not be price competitive yet, but hopefully it goes somewhere.

"Audi and Sunfire claim that the process to make e-diesel is 70 percent efficient. They estimate that once production is ramped up, the cost to consumers in Europe would be comparable to traditional diesel, at 1.00 to 1.50 euro per liter (approximately $4.00 to $6.00 per gallon)."

http://blog.caranddriver.com/powering-your-car-with-water-au...

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

#96

Post by stillsut » Wed, Jun 17, 2015, 5:50 PM UTC

Ryan Gosling and fracking.

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

#97

Post by joshuapants » Wed, Jun 17, 2015, 5:53 PM UTC

brockers wrote: post #43

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.

I fear the graphene will fall by the wayside due to legal and social pressure. News sources have already pointed out that it is significantly more dangerous, if inhaled, than asbestos; another material this is insanely useful for a number of applications but is effectively blackballed as a engineer-able material. Another example is nuclear energy. Clean, abundant, and extremely safe. The fear of radiation exposer has…

> I fear the graphene will fall by the wayside due to legal and social pressure. News sources have already pointed out that it is significantly more dangerous, if inhaled, than asbestos; another material this is insanely useful for a number of applications but is effectively blackballed as a engineer-able material.

But, unlike asbestos, graphene won't be literally all around everyone right? And it won't be worked on by people who weren't informed of risks and provided with proper safety gear.

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

#98

Post by figure8 » Wed, Jun 17, 2015, 5:55 PM UTC

In nutrition and medicine, why red meat causes cancer in humans:

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/d-brief/2015/01/02/red-mea...

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

#99

Post by riemannzeta » Wed, Jun 17, 2015, 5:56 PM UTC

CRISPR, blockchain, and direct connection between brain and lymphatics system are way bigger, but this was a big one for economics and political science:

Zero-Determinant Strategies in Iterated Prisoners' Dilemma http://www.pnas.org/content/109/26/10409.full.pdf

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

#100

Post by ChuckMcM » Wed, Jun 17, 2015, 6:00 PM UTC

Protostome wrote: post #23

baldfat wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This means curing: Color Blindness, Liver Disease, Hopefully Cancers, Genetic Defects, MAYBE one day Aging?

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.

Its ok, the people who accept CRISPR and use it to cure their aging bodies will outlive the folks who refuse to eat GMO food :-)

On a slightly more serious note, income disparity is a thing but it also closely correlates with technology disparity. Folks who are embracing technology and using it to amplify their ability to get stuff done are generating higher incomes than those who don't. I don't see this as any different.