Grounding science in mathematical models is the ultimate goal. But usually, technological advancement and discoveries precede scientific discovery and modeling.

Grounding science in mathematical models is the ultimate goal. But usually, technological advancement and discoveries precede scientific discovery and modeling. We think science that comes first and from science we derive technology. But it is usually the other way around. Technology comes first and from technology, we derive science and even mathematics. A canonical example is the telescope. It's invention led to newtonian physics and calculus. Another is the microscope, which led to much of modern biology. If anyone is interested in the history of technology and science, I recommend "Science and Technology in World History: An Introduction" by McLellan and Dorn Also, if you have netflix, they have a great documentary called AlphaGo. I don't play Go, but I was able to appreciate the documentary. If play chess like I do, there are lots of youtube videos on the AlphaZero's games against stockfish. If DeepMind's system is as general as claimed and as competent in other fields as it was in Go and Chess, I think it's fair to say that it could give us insights into current and new science/mathematics.