Tech News Update

The quest for knowledge has occupied mankind for eons, as we constantly strive to clarify the mysteries of the world around us and the stars above us. Question most people to name the most influential scientists of all time, and a few names will keep cropping up: Einstein, Newton, Galileo, Darwin, and a few others we were force-fed in school.  

But, we wanted to look at some scientists whose work has had a real, practical impact on humanity, and the societies in which they lived. Theoretical scientists have been denied their usual places at the top of the scientific tree to be replaced by people whose work has directly affected the world around them.

Because this list is about scientists who have made discoveries that have changed the world, it necessarily omits those whose discoveries have yet to fulfill their potential. Some have been hugely positive, while others have been responsible for some of the darker aspects of science. Reckon you know who is behind the fantastic innovations in human history?

Ibn al-Haytham

ca. 965-1039
Born in Basra, al-Haytham was a preeminent thinker of his age. He made valuable contributions in maths, anatomy, astronomy, engineering, medicine, philosophy, physics, and he also introduced a scientific methodology of experimentation and observation. Most vital was his work on optics, and his text, The Book of Optics is regarded as being responsible for a revolution in the study of optics and visual perception. His was the first description of a camera obscura (dark chamber), and he also laid foundations for the development of the microscope, the telescope and establishing optical principles of Renaissance art. The microscope in particular has had profound implications for medicine and microbiology, as well as chemistry in the modern world.  

Tim Berners-Lee

1955-Present
If it weren’t for Tim Berners-Lee, you would not be able to read this article. He is the man responsible for the introduction of the World Wide Web, having developed it as a communication utility while working at CERN, the European Particle Physics Laboratory. Remarkably, he refused to patent his invention, giving it as a gift to the world instead. The internet has since revolutionized the way people communicate, as well as their ability to buy information and the speed and efficiency with which global commerce operates. His invention was a truly revolutionary moment in communication, with the potential to surpass the discoveries of Marconi and Alexander Graham-Bell. 

Avicenna

ca. 980-1037
One of the most influential of all Islamic scientists, Avicenna, like many of his peers, worked on many aspects of science including medicine, maths, logic, and geology to name but a few. He wrote nearly 450 texts on a wide variety of subjects, his two most well-known being The Canon of Medicine and The Book of Healing. These were used as standard university textbooks across Europe for hundreds of years. But, his influence extended farther, as he is also considered responsible for the introduction of quarantine to avoid spreading infections, as well as introducing clinical trials and systematic experimentation.

Thomas Midgley

1889-1944
Thomas Midgley is a man who has made a massive contribution to the modern world. Sadly, his contribution was not a positive one. First, Midgley learned that the addition of lead to petrol stopped the “knocking” effect in car engines. But, this also caused massive health problems globally. Subsequently, he was the man responsible for the development of CFCs, one of the most destructive compounds in our atmosphere today, and a major contributor to global warming. It has been remarked that Midgley “had a greater impact on the atmosphere than any other organism in history.” Sadly for him, but possibly excellent for the fate of mankind, he contracted polio, and after devising an elaborate pulley system to help him get out of bed, he inadvertently tangled himself up in the strings and strangled himself.

 Fritz Haber

1868-1934
Fritz Haber was a German chemist whose work encapsulates both the wonder and the horror which science can uncover. Haber lends his name to a process for the industrial synthesis of ammonia, an vital component of fertilizer in modern agriculture. This has helped in the intensive food production which has characterized the modern world, and in turn made possible the massive population growth of the 20th century. He was heavily involved in the development of chemical weapons such as chlorine gas for the Germans in World War I, and he is named by some as the father of chemical warfare. Haber’s work helped the development of cyanide gas, used by the Nazis for some of the worst atrocities in human history.

 Leó Szilárd

1898-1964
Perhaps one of the lesser known collaborators on the Manhattan Project, it was Szilárd who worked on the thought of the nuclear chain reaction, the process which allowed the Atomic bomb to be developed. He was also the man who initiated the Manhattan Project, writing to President Roosevelt to urge him to develop these weapons, as he believed the Germans were researching something similar. While he abhorred the use of violence, having let the genie out of the bottle, Szilárd has contributed to the dawn of the nuclear age, and has changed the world dramatically.

James Clerk Maxwell

1831-1879
Acclaimed by some as the father of modern physics, James Clerk Maxwell is a hugely influential figure in the fields of electricity, thermodynamics, photography, nuclear energy, and others. His discovery of the electromagnetic spectrum led to the development of television, radio, microwaves, as well as aiding in the development of radio and infrared telescopes. His equations on the electromagnetic field were essential for the Special Theory of Relativity, by one Albert Einstein. He also produced the first color photograph, a picture of a tartan ribbon. His work really marked a departure from the work of another fantastic scientist, Isaac Newton, and helped to inform the science behind many of the fantastic technological developments of the modern era.

 Karl Landsteiner

1868-1943
An Austrian physician by training, Landsteiner played an integral part in the identification of blood groups. He demonstrated the catastrophic effect of transfusing with the incorrect type of blood, as well as demonstrating the hereditary nature of blood types, which has since been used as a method of demonstrating paternity. He was also partly responsible for the identification of the polio virus, and made numerous contributions to immunology, histology and anatomy. His greatest legacy though, is in understanding the different blood groups for blood transfusions, in so doing vastly improving survival rates in surgeries.

John Bardeen

1908-1991
An American physicist and electrical engineer, John Bardeen is one of the very few people to have won two Nobel prizes. In 1956, with two colleagues, he developed the electrical transistor, a development which has facilitated the development of virtually every electronic device used in the modern world. His 1972 discoveries on superconductivity have enabled the use of CAT and MRI scans in medicine. Despite these revolutionary breakthroughs, Bardeen is virtually unknown outside the scientific community. His legacy though, has changed the world beyond recognition.

 Joseph Lister

1827-1912
While working as a surgeon at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary, Lister attempted to solve the problem of infection in wounds, which killed 45%-50% of all his amputation cases. Having studied some of the work of Louis Pasteur, and read papers on the use of carbolic acid in sewage treatment, Lister started treating his patient’s wounds with carbolic acid. He forced his surgeons to wash their hands before and after treatment with a carbolic acid solution, as well as clean surgical equipment with it, in so doing bringing about a revolution in the cleanliness of hospitals. Considered the father of antiseptic medicine, Lister’s work has saved countless lives all around the world, and is one of the largest breakthroughs in medical history.