From Equation to Economy

History has shown that breakthroughs in fundamental science can be stepping stones to world-changing technologies. Everything from smartphones to X-ray machines can trace their origins back to researchers studying the basic laws and nature of the universe. It can take decades for research findings to evolve into new technologies – but luckily hindsight is 20/20.

Let’s meet some past and present researchers whose drive to understand the natural world produced transformational technologies. 

1. Lord Kelvin 

Lord Kelvin (1824-1907) significantly contributed to our understanding of thermodynamics, a branch of science dedicated to the connections between heat, energy, and temperature.  

Thermodynamics is critical in understanding and modeling climate change. Contemporary models take into account how energy is transferred around the globe, especially between the oceans, land, and the atmosphere. The models are tested against past climate patterns, and, if shown to be accurate, are then used to predict future climate change. Researchers and policy makers can then plan for future climate scenarios, all because of our understanding of thermodynamics. 
 

2. Wilhelm Röntgen

Wilhlem Röntgen (1845-1923) discovered X-rays in 1895, which earned him the first-ever Nobel Prize in Physics six years later. His discovery originated from experiments with cathode rays – streams of electrons produced in a vacuum. Through further investigation, he realized that this previously unknown type of radiation, which he dubbed ‘X-rays,’ could pass through tissues and organs but not bone.

Röntgen didn’t have to wait long to see his discovery in action. Within a year, medical professionals were using X-rays to diagnose broken bones and other injuries. Röntgen never claimed a patent for his discovery, ensuring X-rays could be freely used to benefit humanity. 
 

3. James Clerk Maxwell

James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879) unified electricity and magnetism into a single force called electromagnetism, setting the stage for researchers like Albert Einstein to make their own monumental discoveries in the 20th century. Maxwell developed four equations – known as Maxwell’s equations – that described the relationship between the two previously separate forces.

Electromagnetic waves, including radio waves, microwaves, visible light, and X-rays, are all key ingredients in today’s technologies. From a simple lightbulb to the most state-of-the-art smartphone, our modern electrical technologies are all dependent on Maxwell's unification of electromagnetism.  
 

4. Marie Curie

Marie Curie (1867-1934) was a two-time Nobel Prize winner who coined the term ‘radioactivity’. Along with her husband, Curie discovered two radioactive elements, polonium and radium, the latter of which she isolated independently.

Nuclear power plants harness the properties of radioactive materials to produce energy. This low-carbon source of energy currently generates about a quarter of the energy requirements of the globe.
 

5. Geoffrey Hinton

Geoffrey Hinton (b. 1947) is a modern example of how findings in one research field can be applied to others. The British-Canadian researcher won a Nobel Prize in Physics in 2024 for developing the Boltzmann machine, a statistical tool inspired by the brain that can be trained from examples to recognize patterns and classify data. This research has been foundational in the field of machine learning and artificial intelligence, with applications in data processing, language translation, and image searching.