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The mass-energy equivalence and how it led to the discovery of nuclear fission/fusion and how to control/cause explosive atomic chain reactions was probably one

The mass-energy equivalence and how it led to the discovery of nuclear fission/fusion and how to control/cause explosive atomic chain reactions was probably one of the most impactful technologies of all time, in a literal sense.

kragen 3y ago
maybe, but it's not yet in the same league as math, writing, cooking, sewing, and electricity, in terms of its effects on human life i mean all five of those were probably prerequisites for it? maybe if the humans build torchships or nuclear-powered starships, or convert the electric grid to mostly nuclear, i'd agree, but those all seem far in the future
- akkartik 3y ago
  I'm curious: why sewing in particular? As opposed to say spinning or weaving or knitting?
  - kragen 3y ago
    it's surely debatable, but my thought was that sewing seems to have predated weaving (of cloth), nålbinding, especially knit and crochet, and probably even spinning, and it was sewing that enabled the humans to live outside the tropics sewing without spinning or weaving still gives you tents and jackets (of hide or felt, at least). i think weaving without sewing only gives you floor mats. spinning without sewing gives you rope, which makes longer fibers than natural sinews, and thus lassos and lashing, but i think these are less transformative technologies than tents and jackets i think the humans probably could have developed the fission chain reaction without spinning but probably not without sewing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sewing_needle#Prehistoric_sewing_needles https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sewing_needle#Prehistoric_sewi... sewing: 50–61 kya or possibly https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_clothing_and_textiles#Prehistoric_development https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_clothing_and_textil... 170 kya https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hand_spinning#History https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hand_spinning#History spinning: 41–52 kya https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weaving#Archaeology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weaving#Archaeology weaving: 27 kya (cloth doesn't survive but its clay impressions do) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%C3%A5lebinding#History https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%C3%A5lebinding#History nålbinding: 8 kya https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_knitting https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_knitting knitting: .9 kya https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crochet#Origins https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crochet#Origins crochet: .2 kya
- anshumankmr 3y ago
  Yes, I did mention "one of"

kragen 3y ago

maybe, but it's not yet in the same league as math, writing, cooking, sewing, and electricity, in terms of its effects on human life i mean all five of those were probably prerequisites for it? maybe if the humans build torchships or nuclear-powered starships, or convert the electric grid to mostly nuclear, i'd agree, but those all seem far in the future

akkartik 3y ago
I'm curious: why sewing in particular? As opposed to say spinning or weaving or knitting?
- kragen 3y ago
  it's surely debatable, but my thought was that sewing seems to have predated weaving (of cloth), nålbinding, especially knit and crochet, and probably even spinning, and it was sewing that enabled the humans to live outside the tropics sewing without spinning or weaving still gives you tents and jackets (of hide or felt, at least). i think weaving without sewing only gives you floor mats. spinning without sewing gives you rope, which makes longer fibers than natural sinews, and thus lassos and lashing, but i think these are less transformative technologies than tents and jackets i think the humans probably could have developed the fission chain reaction without spinning but probably not without sewing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sewing_needle#Prehistoric_sewing_needles https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sewing_needle#Prehistoric_sewi... sewing: 50–61 kya or possibly https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_clothing_and_textiles#Prehistoric_development https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_clothing_and_textil... 170 kya https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hand_spinning#History https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hand_spinning#History spinning: 41–52 kya https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weaving#Archaeology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weaving#Archaeology weaving: 27 kya (cloth doesn't survive but its clay impressions do) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%C3%A5lebinding#History https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%C3%A5lebinding#History nålbinding: 8 kya https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_knitting https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_knitting knitting: .9 kya https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crochet#Origins https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crochet#Origins crochet: .2 kya
anshumankmr 3y ago
Yes, I did mention "one of"