HACKER Q&A
📣 trifit

How fast can we truly advance science?


Is it just a matter of educating more scientists and funding research or is there something fundamental blocking it that I’m not seeing?


  👤 jleyank Accepted Answer ✓
There’s some major issues resisting solution now: fusion, room temp superconductors, battery tech and recycling, bio/pharmaceuticals, …. New topics can appear from serendipity or from theoretical advances that suggest possibilities (which can help the superconductors and pharma). If you argue that “electronics” was a major product of wwii, we’re using it to read HN. Todays smartphones are pretty f’ckin amazing.

Perhaps the largest problem in the current 1-3 month event horizon in business… some of these things will take time and might not yield amazing returns. Better to invest in social media companies.


👤 d9000
WWII had a massive impact on advancing science. Funding and fear of extinction is a good combo to advance science.