The twenty-first century began quite recently, and quite a lot has already been achieved in the field of science and technology. And although most of the greatest discoveries of the 21st century have not yet been widely used, in the future they will help make people's lives comfortable and long.
Below are ten of the most significant inventions that are very likely to find practical application in this century.
Boson-Higgs particle
Its existence was predicted back in 1960, but the particle was discovered only in 2006 in Geneva. This was made possible thanks to the construction of a large hadron collider. The Boson particle is also called the “particle of God”, since it is this particle that is the main brick from which the Universe appeared. This greatest discovery in 21st century physics will not only help in the near future to create new substances, but will also become the basis for further achievements. For example, the release of engines that work on new principles and allow you to travel huge distances in a short time.
Adult Stem Cells
Stem cells are used to grow human organs and tissues. This is relevant for the treatment of a number of diseases. Therefore, one of the greatest discoveries of the 21st century is the fact that people have learned to grow the organs necessary for transplantation, and not to hope that a suitable donor will appear.
Earlier, stem cells were obtained only from the embryo. This was not only unethical, but also dangerous, since the cells were taken with a syringe, which pierced the placenta. And this sometimes led to a miscarriage. In addition, the obtained cells had to be stored in the freeze for a long time. Only very wealthy parents could afford it.
Using adult stem cells completely solves the problem. And although this technology is still new and expensive, in the future, replacing a failed organ with a test-tube organ will become commonplace.
Writing new knowledge to the brain
Another of the greatest discoveries of science in the 21st century is the ability to record and erase information directly in the brain without volitional effort. The experiment on the introduction of new knowledge was successfully carried out on experimental rats. At the same time, animals immediately perceived and used knowledge. That is, they ignored certain places in the cage and certain types of food only because scientists wrote information about their danger to the life of animals in their brains.
In the future, this discovery will increase the learning ability of people. It will be possible in just a few hours to prepare a highly qualified specialist by simply writing the necessary knowledge and skills into his brain. It will also help save people from negative memories, treat some mental illnesses.
The Poincare conjecture became a theorem
The birthplace of this great discovery of the 21st century is Russia. Grigory Perelman, a Russian scientist, mathematician, proved the Poincare theorem. Up to this point, it was just a hypothesis, that is, an assumption. Although for people far from mathematics the very possibility of applying such a discovery seems unbelievable, the facts show that, thanks to it, mankind will be able to more efficiently build space stations, ships.
The theorem gives answers to many questions. For example, she explains why large space objects: planets and stars - have the shape of a ball. This is not just a great mathematical discovery of the 21st century, but the solution to one of the important problems facing humanity today.
Making graphene
One of the greatest discoveries of the 21st century is the creation of graphene. This heavy-duty material has unique superconductivity at household temperature. Moreover, it is not only ultra-strong, but also ultra-light. So far, its production is expensive, but perhaps in a few years, scientists will be able to reduce the cost of it, and then the use of graphene will become widespread.
Artificial creation of new life forms at the genetic level
The development of genetic engineering in the twentieth century led to great scientific discoveries in biology and genetics in the 21st century. So, for the first time, a new form of life at the molecular level was artificially created by man. Scientists first removed part of the genetic material, leaving exactly those genes that are needed to sustain life, and then replaced them with new ones. The experiment was conducted on bacteria. It went well: the bacterium not only did not die, but also began to multiply, transmitting new artificial genes.
This discovery will allow over time to fight viruses and infections. Perhaps humanity will even succeed in defeating incurable diseases, such as AIDS.
New Generation Dentures
Previously, the prosthesis was a piece of rubber, plastic or wood, which was shaped into a lost limb. Moreover, he performed various functions. If the prosthetic leg was used as an auxiliary support point, then wearing it was not much more convenient than a crutch. And with a prosthetic arm, which fulfilled aesthetic goals, it was almost impossible to grab anything.
The greatest discovery of the 21st century was the creation of completely new prostheses. Their modern options are sensitive. They can be controlled by the power of thought, and prostheses are not inferior in their capabilities to a real arm or leg.
Ultrafast computers
The computer was invented in the last century, however, the great discoveries of the 21st century in the science of "Informatics" occur today. So, more recently there were PCs working on new principles. These are ultrafast quantum computers capable of processing tetrabytes of information in seconds. Their main purpose is complex scientific and financial calculations, building computer models for predicting future events. Unlike many other discoveries, ultrafast PCs are already used in many areas of human activity, however, so far, few have access to them, mainly scientists, economists, and military.
Water on Mars
Among the greatest discoveries of the 21st century was the discovery of water on Mars. It is here either in solid or in liquid state. According to astronomers, the water on the red planet is salty, so it does not evaporate.
This fact was known before: on Mars, traces of corrosion, dry riverbeds and lakes are visible. However, the fact that water is still on the planet has been confirmed only in the 21st century. And this is very important. The presence of water in a liquid state indicates a high probability of the existence of life on Mars, even in a primitive form (bacteria, protozoa). In addition, it is a planet, which is the main object of colonization. The first Martian settlers will need water for life. And although today it sounds like science fiction, perhaps by the end of this century the first settlements of colonists from Earth will appear on Mars.
Quantum teleportation
Quantum teleportation is not the movement of any objects, as the process usually shows in films and is described in science fiction novels. This is an instantaneous movement in the space of quantum particles.
The main application of quantum teleportation is the transmission of information over long distances. This does not seem to be such a great discovery of the 21st century as others, but, along with the potential for teleportation, its role is growing. For example, when developing other planets or building space stations, the exchange of information at such a speed opens up great opportunities for research. Yes, and the Earth would not hurt the Internet, working at the speed of quanta.
This is not the whole list of the greatest discoveries of the 21st century in science and technology. So, in less than two decades, they invented a smartphone, wireless high-speed Internet, a 3D printer, and other no less significant things. The human genome was completely deciphered and the secret of its origin was revealed.
Discoveries occur constantly, and if we compare the data with the same twentieth century, it can be noted that the horizons of knowledge of scientists are expanding not only on the Earth, but also on the whole Universe. In addition, many of these discoveries entail the development of entire branches of science and industrial production. This means that even more interesting achievements of people are expected in the future.