TABLE 2 .
Some practical societal benefits from scientific revolutions
| Revolution | Societal benefit(s)a |
|---|---|
| Heliocentric solar system | More accurate calendars |
| Newtonian mechanics, thermodynamics | Industrial revolution, mechanical transportation |
| Vaccines, phagocytosis, antibodies | Vaccines, passive antibody therapies |
| Computer | Computers |
| Natural selection | Comparative anatomy |
| Light microscopy, germ theory, viruses | Antibiotics, epidemic prevention |
| X-rays | Diagnostic tests |
| Radioactivity | Cancer treatment, energy, weaponry, radioactive dating |
| Quantum theory | Improved electronics |
| Relativity | Global positioning system |
| Continental drift | Seismological forecasting |
| Laser physics | Medical applications, printing, information management, communications |
| Transistors | Solid-state electronics |
| Heredity from DNA, molecular cloning, DNA sequencing | New therapeutic agents, genetically modified plants and animals, molecular diagnosis of birth defects |
| PCR | Biotechnology, forensic analysis, diagnostic tests |
a
Not a complete list.