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Top 10 List
how we choose
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Anesthesia
Imagine a world where instead of gently drifting into oblivion before a
surgery, you were wide awake for the entire procedure. Although the term
itself was created by Oliver Wendell Holmes in 1846, poppy seeds were used
as a type of anesthesia back in pre-historic times. There are many different
types of anesthesia, including herbal anesthesia. Learn about the
differences between
general anesthesia,
local anesthesia and
deep
sedation. |
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DNA
Deoxyribonucleic Acid, or the mapping of the human gene, is probably one of
the greatest discoveries in medicine. By learning more about how genes are
put together, doctors are developing medications to treat any number of
diseases and ailments, including diabetes. There is some debate over who in
the world actually discovered DNA, but the truth is more complex and
involves contributions from quite a few talented and brilliant scientists.
Many feel that
Rosalind Franklin does not get credit where credit is due for this
discovery. |
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Electricity
Without Benjamin Franklin and his penchant for kites, electricity might not
have ever been discovered. Without electricity, you wouldn't be reading this
Top 10 list, because there would be no computers and no Internet. Many of
our everyday functions would be changed drastically. Many different schools
and websites
discuss the history of this element that we take for granted. You can
even find in depth details about
how
Franklin made his kite and why it worked so well. |
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Fingerprints
The discovery that fingerprints are unique to each individual, are left
behind on objects a person touches and can be lifted off those items is
nothing short of miraculous. This discovery completely changed the way that
law enforcement conducted investigations. In today's modern age, Jack the
Ripper would eventually be caught. Even though it was 1823 when Jan
Evangelista Purkinje noticed how unique our fingerprints are, it took some
time for law
enforcement to figure out ways to use this knowledge. Today, this
discovery is used in everyday police work. |
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Light Bulb
Back in 1879, Thomas Edison invented a little thing called a light bulb.
This bulb would revolutionalize the way that people handled dusk each day
and expand daylight hours for people all over the world. Today, the light
bulb is as common as a slice of bread. Talking about top scientific
inventions is certain to bring up the name of
Thomas Edison. After all, he invented many of the scientific discoveries
that we use today or the precursors to those inventions, such as the
phonograph and motion pictures. He also improved upon many inventions. |
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Computer
Who on earth invented the computer anyway? This isn't a question that can
really be answered easily. There were a lot of different people involved
along the way. We've certainly improved upon the initial invention, which
filled up an entire room to today's teeny computers that can fit in items as
small as cell phones and other devices. In 1936, the
Z1 computer was created and is often credited as being the first
computer. One thing is certain, the computer will continue to get smaller
and improve in the number of functions it can perform. |
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Penicillin
Although this wonder drug was discovered earlier in the century, it was not
widely available until the 1940s. Dr. Alexander Fleming
accidentally discovered penicillin. He noticed that some mold stopped
bacteria from growing and after years of research by many people the drug
was developed into what it is today. Before the discovery of penicillin,
even minor infections could result in death. |
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Radio
Waves
Heinrich Hertz was the first person to discover radio waves in 1888,
although others before him had predicted that the waves were there. An
inventor, Guglielmo Marconi, was so fascinated with Hertz's discover that he
invented the
Marconi Transmitter. These first machines would eventually lead to the
development of Morse code and S.O.S. as a distress signal. Today, there are
thousands of radio stations transmitting across the airwaves, Internet
companies running on sound wave frequencies and many other everyday
applications that are a direct result from these first inventors' investment
of time. |
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Large Hadron Collider
Although discoveries from the past are enticing and help us see from where
we've come, it is the discoveries of today that are most exciting. The
collider was built as a probe into subatomic particles. Many have high hopes
for this collider that it will help us to one day understand the speed of
light and to find ways to travel through time and space. The machine sits on
the Swiss and French border. When they first fired up the
Hadron Collider, they had high hopes, but a malfunction caused the
machine to be shut down and is now being repaired. |
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Invisibility Cloak
It sounds like something straight out of a comic book or Hollywood movie
special effect, but invisibility cloaks are a new scientific discovery that
is poised to begin happening very shortly. The studies look at ways to make
light bend around an object, so that it no longer appears to be visible.
The applications of this technology are endless, from use in military
defenses to use with cell phones and other wireless devices. |
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