This is a model of an atom.
Important scientific discoveries have occurred throughout time. What is considered fact today was once a ground-breaking and even radical idea. As technology improves and new scientists emerge, new scientific discoveries will continue to be found. There are hundreds of important scientific discoveries. This list provides a few ground-breaking discoveries.
Laws of Motion
Isaac Newton formulated the three laws of motion in 1687. Newton changed how individuals viewed the universe. The first law states that an object that is in motion will remain in motion until it is stopped by an outside force. The second law states that the mass of an object and its acceleration are related to the applied force. So the force is equal to the mass times the acceleration. The third law states that for all actions there is an opposite and equal reaction.
Atomic Theory
John Dalton showed that there were tiny particles known as atoms that make up the different elements. A pure element will contain the same number of atoms that contain the same mass. Different elements can be combined to form new compounds. He made this discovery in 1808.
Natural Selection
In 1868, Charles Darwin published his famous book, "On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection." Darwin challenged the current beliefs of the time about the creation of life. He based the book on observations made when serving as a naturalist on the HMS Beagle. Most of the specimens from the Galapagos Island provided the inspiration for this famous theory of natural selection.
E=mc^2
Albert Einstein showed that energy is equal to the mass of the object multiplied by the speed of light squared. This formula is famous because it proves that energy and mass are different but can come from the same object. In basic terms, a small bit of mass can be changed into a large amount of energy. Einstein came up with this equation in 1905 and revolutionized the field of physics
Earth's Core
Richard Oldham found, in 1906, that earthquake waves move at different speeds depending on which layer of the Earth they are traveling through. Based on his observations and calculations, Oldham theorized that the core of the Earth is not solid, but is made of liquid. This was one of the main discoveries that eventually lead to further discoveries in seismology, vulcanology and geology.
Penicillin
Penicillin was discovered by Alexander Fleming in the 1920s and 1930s. Boris Chain and Howard Florey purified the important compound in penicillin to make the first antibiotic. Fleming made his discovery by accident when he saw that mold killed bacteria in a sample. He isolated the mold and identified it as Penicillium.
Double Helix
James Watson and Francis Crick discovered the structure of DNA in 1953. They determined that DNA is in a double helix form that is made of two nucleotide chains. This structure allows for matching base pairs to interlock and keep the distance between the chains constant. This was an important step for the field of genetics.
Plate Tectonics
In the 1960s, many scientists were able to show that the surface of the Earth is made of interconnected rock plates. The most outer layer is made of seven large plates. These plates move at different speeds and in different directions. This movement causes earthquakes and the formation of volcanoes and mountains.
K-T Asteroid
In 1980, the KT Asteroid Theory was developed by Walter Alvarez to explain the extinction of dinosaurs. He came up with this theory by measuring the iridium levels in rock found around the world. Iridium is a mineral found in asteroids and was found in rock layers between the Cretaceous and Tertiary periods.
HIV
In the 1980s, Luc Montagnier and Robert Gallo both separately discovered the retro virus known as HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus). This was also identified as the cause of AIDS.
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