It goes without saying that both technology and the people who develop it have made great advances more many years. While the plenitude of smaller, incremental advances that change our lives in various minor ways (i.e., device and software updates, etc.), there exist at least a few giant projects that essentially transformed our world. From providing a means for humans to travel in space, feats of modern engineering and architecture, and answering questions about our existence, below are three of my personal highlights from Digital Trend’s list of nine of the most important technology-related projects ever.
The Three Gorges Dam
Located in the Yangtze River in China’s Hubei Province, this feat of engineering — that opened in 2003 — cost $37 million dollars, measures at 410 miles long, and last year generated 93.500 TWh of power, while is usually generated 11 times the power of the Hoover Dam does. The only negative spot is that the decade-long project displaced at least 1 million locals from their homes.
The Large Hadron Collider
The LHC, the world’s $9 million dollar particle accelerator, is located 300 feet underground on the border of Switzerland and France, The world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator, composed of 27-kilometer ring of superconducting magnets was first turned on in 2009, with the goal of unlocking the secrets of high-energy physics and the creation of the universe via simulating the Big Bang/Creation.
The Human Genome Project
As a fan of Metal Gear Solid on the original PlayStation, this was the first instance that I learned the basic history of the Human Genome Project, as it was a basis for the game’s story and narrative. The project, which ran from 1990 to 2003, was an international scientific research project aiming to sequence and map a blueprint of human DNA. The result of the project includes allowing anyone to have their genetic makeup sequenced (and yes, it’s expensive), which COULD open doors for opportunities such as proactive and personalized medical treatments.
