• Question: what do think is the best invention?

    Asked by kaiprendergast to David, James, Mike, Suze, Will on 16 Jun 2011.
    • Photo: Suze Kundu

      Suze Kundu answered on 13 Jun 2011:

      1) ceramic hair straighteners (boys, you will never understand – ladies, are you with me on this one?)

      2) in terms of industrial, technological, economical development, and general impact, the steam engine is pretty cool. Wallace (of Gromit fame) even uses one to power his Run About Steam Chair! I did a few of the BBC roadshows around the country showing people how to make their very own Run About Steam Chair with Wallace & Gromit’s World of Invention, so you see, science can take you to lots of strange places!

    • Photo: James Marrow

      James Marrow answered on 13 Jun 2011:

      In the 20th Century? – probably the semi-conductor has had the greatest influence on the developed world, although antibiotics have probably had the most profound effect on our lives.

      Let’s just hope that we find a replacement for antibiotics as microbes seem to be following the predictable path of evolution (and they have many more generations in a short time than we do, so they can be expected to evolve fast).

      Did you know that the ceramic hair straightener probably came from the ceramic Sushi knife, which was the product of a huge research programme initiated in Japan? (super strong ceramics make super sharp edges that don’t blunt, and they don’t take the flavour of the fish either). The hair straightener needs to be strong and smooth.

      My son’s got one of those Wallace and Grommit “steam chairs” – great fun (keeps getting lost under the sofa)

    • Photo: Mike Dodd

      Mike Dodd answered on 13 Jun 2011:

      Dare I say the iPod! It’s just so good to be able to listen to your music on the move, esp if you are out on a run or in the lab doing an experiment.

      Although if we bring it back to science, I would differently agree with James, Antibiotics changed the world and allowed so many people to live, that would previously have died.

    • Photo: David Ingram

      David Ingram answered on 13 Jun 2011:

      Quite a list: my personal favourite was the CRAY-2 computer – a very futuristic machine (from 1985) which sat in a bath of liquid coolant. Its only purpose in life was to do calculations very very fast.

      Our modern lives have been changed most by the Lithium-Ion battery (its in your mobile phone, Ipod, laptop, etc) but the steam engine, and aeroplane [powered flight was actually a british invention – the Wright brothers only flew the first manned plane].

      However to be very boring – THE WHEEL

    • Photo: William Eborall

      William Eborall answered on 16 Jun 2011:

      All really good suggestions 🙂

      If I had to pick something which hasn’t already been covered I think I’d go with the printing press. That invention allowed the common man to be able to buy books and learn to read. It allowed us to share ideas across continents quickly and easily. The spread of books and the ideas within them has changed the world many times, for better and for worse.

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