The dreams of Robert Boyle come true. Part 2

Robert Boyle wrote a “wish list” 350 years ago, and many of his dreams have come to mankind. Last time we reviewed the first six points - the second youth, organ transplantation, telemedicine, the art of flight. Today we will talk about our growth, tomato-potatoes and mirrors for telescopes.

Brand for the 350th anniversary of the Royal Scientific Community

7) Achieving giant sizes

Over the past two hundred years, the average height of men has increased by 10 centimeters, women - by 9 centimeters with a small one. Of course, we are not giants, but men and women playing basketball and volleyball would have seemed huge to Boyle. But if you think about it, and today the point of view of an average person, a two-meter person seems high.
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And if you are unlucky with growth, then there are ways to increase it in two ways - surgical and physiological. In the physiological case, we are talking about hormonal drugs, and surgeons increase growth due to the legs in the calf or femoral part.

Feature film Gattaka

8) Emulation of fish without engines through science

Modern technologies allow to swim under water, even at a very great depth. In the last article, I mentioned the ability of a person to function under water. The maximum depth of diving in autonomous equipment is 330 meters - this record was set by Pascal Bernabe.

But can a person pretend to be a fish without resorting to engines? Until we learned to swim without equipment, like fish, and to go without air just as long. We even reach the dolphins far.

But we have scuba diving goggles, special costumes and flippers - both for legs and hands-on. Also use monofin - this wide flipper is attached directly to two legs. The world record for breath-holding belongs to Tom Sietas from Germany - he stayed under water for twenty-two minutes and twenty-two seconds. It remains only to embed the gills in the person.

Freediver in monofin

9) Accelerating the growth of seed vegetables

Scientists were able to perform this item on the top five. They created plant growth stimulants - synthetic and natural substances that enhance cell division. As in animals, hormones are responsible for plant growth. Stimulants are used in the form of aerosols, aqueous solutions, emulsions and vapors.

Plant growth hormones are discovered by chance - in a weed doll, who loves cereals. Auxin, which stimulates the growth of wheat grains and their number per ear, was derived from cockle seeds.

In addition to stimulating plant growth, there is another way to improve this characteristic of them: to get into the genes. Genetic engineers are able to modify plants, animals, and microorganisms using certain methods. To create GMOs, an isolated gene is obtained, introduced into the vector for transfer into the body, transferred, transformed into the body's cells, and selected those organisms that have successfully passed all these stages.

10) Transmutation of Metals

Transmutation is the transformation of one object into another. In Alchemy, the transmutation of metals meant the conversion of base metals into gold. In physics, this rarely used concept implies the transformation of atoms of some chemical elements into others as a result of the radioactive decay of their nuclei or nuclear reactions.

Robert Boyle, most likely, meant the transformation of metals into gold. And this dream of all alchemists came true in 1947, when American physicists Ingram, Hess and Haydn measured the effective neutron absorption cross section by mercury nuclei. A similar experiment effect was 35 μg of gold. In economic terms, this discovery is useless - too expensive process. It is better to mine gold even in the poorest mines.

Amphitheater of eternal wisdom

11) Making flexible glass

Glass is one of the most ancient materials used by man. In Egypt, glass existed five thousand years ago, and in the Berlin Museum there is a bead made of glass aged five and a half thousand years. Glass, as a rule, bends very badly during physical impact - it is too fragile. With the fragility of glass can already fight. It is hardened and made multi-layer composites. In addition, the glass is actively replaced by other materials - plastics. For example, in ophthalmology, contact lenses are made from polymers.

But how can you live without flexible glass in the age of mobile devices? In 2014, Los Alamos laboratory developed elastic glass with a partially crystalline structure - such glass bends under mechanical action. In the photo - a plate of “metallic” glass bent into a ring with a radius of 1 millimeter. If the glue is removed, it will turn back.

Elastic glass

12) Interspecific transmutation of minerals, animals and plants

To cross animals and plants, scientists have long learned. Is that the elephant with a mouse is not crossed, but the tomatoes with potatoes - just go. Moreover, scientists have learned to get into the genes. Genetically modified plant varieties and animal breeds can differ in accelerated growth and increased productivity.

The modification allows you to repel insects. Scientists identified the gene responsible for the poison of the scorpion and, making this poison harmless to humans, introduced the gene into cabbage - to kill the caterpillars. Plant fruits may contain a vaccine: researchers have injected a hepatitis B virus into a banana tree. A person eating a virus-filled fetus activates the immune system — the creation of antibodies begins.

Tomato Potatoes

13) Creation of alkagest and other solvents

A universal solvent is impossible, as proved in the 17th century: “If an alkahest dissolves all bodies, then it will also dissolve the vessel containing it; if he dissolves flint, he will turn into a liquid and glass retort ... "

There is a huge amount of solvents - it can be liquid, solid and gaseous substances. In organic chemistry, tetrahydrofuran is sometimes called a universal solvent — it can dissolve almost all low molecular weight organic substances, as well as many polymers, including polyvinyl chloride and rubber. A 100% universal solvent has not yet been created - as stated above, it simply would have nothing to do.

14) Production of parabolic and hyperbolic lenses

Lenses are used in electronics, optical systems, ophthalmology, radio astronomy, and even in the construction of plutonium nuclear bombs.

Observatories use parabolic mirrors. Their production is a very complicated process , it can be seen on the example of the production of mirrors for the Giant Magellan telescope. The basis of its optical system is seven huge round mirrors, each weighing twenty tons. Mirrors make up from 1861 borosilicate glass blanks. The segments melt and form a single array of parabolic shape, which is then polished.