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

#1

Post by forgottenacc56 » Wed, Jun 17, 2015, 11:39 AM UTC

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

#2

Post by gremlinsinc » Wed, Jun 17, 2015, 11:58 AM UTC

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...

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

#3

Post by kang » Wed, Jun 17, 2015, 12:04 PM UTC

blockchain

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

#4

Post by BerislavLopac » Wed, Jun 17, 2015, 12:05 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...

Those are mostly inventions, as opposed to discoveries.

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

#5

Post by zmeden » Wed, Jun 17, 2015, 12:10 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...

I'd consider most of the things you listed to be inventions/innovations. Discovery, for me, is closely connected to uncovering of a new phenomena or an effect. And invention/innovation would be the use of it for some specific purpose.

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

#6

Post by BerislavLopac » Wed, Jun 17, 2015, 12:14 PM UTC

I would say, in no particular order:

    * the fact that many of the dinosaurs had feathers
    * myriad of exoplanets
    * water on Mars (and many other new data on the planet)
    * Higg's boson (confirmed to 99.999% certainty)
    * Neanderthal genes present in modern humans
    * new ancient Mayan cities

That's it from me for starters, hopefully others will join in.

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

#7

Post by PaulRobinson » Wed, Jun 17, 2015, 12:19 PM UTC

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.

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

#8

Post by VLM » Wed, Jun 17, 2015, 12:23 PM UTC

A VERY specific request, no inventions, just things found and cataloged aka discovered.

http://www.openexoplanetcatalogue.com/systems/

Also see pretty much every space probe of the "last few years". Pity you couldn't wait another month for the Pluto flyby, unless it completely fails there will be plenty to talk about.

I would imagine the biological sciences could list all kinds of interesting, possibly useful, critters.

The geologists and archeologists are always digging something cool up.

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

#9

Post by arethuza » Wed, Jun 17, 2015, 12:23 PM UTC

BerislavLopac wrote: post #6

I would say, in no particular order: * the fact that many of the dinosaurs had feathers * myriad of exoplanets * water on Mars (and many other new data on the planet) * Higg's boson (confirmed to 99.999% certainty) * Neanderthal genes present in modern humans * new ancient Mayan cities That's it from me for starters, hopefully others will join in.

Great list - I'd certainly go for the exoplanets as #1

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

#10

Post by velavar » Wed, Jun 17, 2015, 12:24 PM UTC

Though theoretically predicted long ago, I suppose the Higgs boson can be said to have been "discovered" in 2012 when its presence was first confirmed.