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Asked by Brodie_Bum to Cristiane, Nicki, Nikolai, Richard, Samuel on 11 Mar 2015.
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Samuel Ellis answered on 11 Mar 2015:
Well the computer is obviously a massive invention, without which a lot of modern science (and modern life!) would not be possible. The internet too is extremely important in so many ways, but in science is great because it lets us share data and information with scientists around the world and therefore learn things much faster.
As a more random answer, I also find 3D printers very cool! They have the potential to change lots of things in the coming years, can’t wait to see what people do with them 🙂
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Nikolai Adamski answered on 11 Mar 2015:
Agriculture.
It’s the cornerstone of our society. It enabled a few people to feed many other people. suddenly, people had time to write poems and think about the universe, etc.
I wouldn’t be a scientist without agriculture and we wouldn’t be exchanging questions on a computer without agriculture. -
Nicki Whitehouse answered on 11 Mar 2015:
I agree with Nikolai, agriculture. I study the beginnings of early agriculture and find it fascinating that people moved from an existence that served them well, for so long (hunting and gathering) and moved to crop cultivation and animal husbandry. It was such a pivotal moment in our history and much of civilisation stems from the plenty that is generated as a consequence of this period. This is also when our diets become fairly uniform and many of our diseases come into prominence, so not always universally a good thing.
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Richard Simons answered on 17 Mar 2015:
I’ll agree that agriculture is definitely one of the most important, but for my favourite I need something which is elegant and brilliant.
How about the bow and arrow? Going back to its origin it really is a specifically hunting. The oldest arrows ever found were pre-25 000 BC! The bow and arrow were the third major step in moving human hunting away from animalistic techniques (if we consider unarmed hunting as the base; then basic tool use through sharp rocks; then throwing spears; and then comes the bow and arrow). This was a major difference, as humans could hunt (and kill) at a distance, something no other mammal can do. It gave us an enormous edge, and was so effective that it was still the height of military technology until ~16th century when gunpowder was discovered; that’s a run of more than 27 000 years!
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