Misused Scientific Discoveries

[mooeypoo]

Hey guys,

 

In the spirit of the writer I am attempting to be (and the story I am desperately attempting to write 'realistically', as much as I can), I am looking for Scientific discoveries that were used for the not-intended and *bad* use.

 

Example: Atomic energy --> could bring to a new age in energy production, but --> used as atomic bomb.

 

Any more examples?

 

Please... I've been looking up online, and couldn't find anything (I am not sure *what* to look for, actually)..

 

It would be great great help. And a nice discussion, too, potentially

 

Thanks!

 

~moo

[iNow]

Penicillin comes to mind.

 

 

Hopefully my girlfriend won't read this post. She may become concerned about who else I'm hanging out with.

 

 

"Why do you need penicillin!?!"

[mooeypoo]

Why is penicillin an example? what bad cause was it used for? I thought it was only used to heal disease...?

 

I'm looking for something great that turned into something horrible. Think "ABomb" and project manhattan...

 

~moo

[ecoli]

Why is penicillin an example? what bad cause was it used for? I thought it was only used to heal disease...?

 

I'm looking for something great that turned into something horrible. Think "ABomb" and project manhattan...

 

~moo

penicillin and other antibiotics are overused, esp. with regards to animal production in factories and foolish doctors prescribing them unnecessarily. This has led to widespread microbial resistance to these drugs.

[iNow]

I admit that I approached the question more as "accidental discovery" than something intended for good becoming bad.

 

 

What about the internet being used to run surveillance (think domestic wire tapping), or how it creates communities of like minded individuals for those who espouse ideologies of hate (think KKK or Fox News).

[mooeypoo]

Hm. Okay. Good point.

 

This is good, btw. But for shock-effect, I'm looking for something that was *intentionally* misused.. penicillin's side effect (that you described) isn't intentional.. it's not like doctors intentionally gave it away to make diseases stronger. I'm looking for an intentional twist to a scientific advancement.

 

I am looking for more immediate horrible effects. Weapons, mainly.

 

Human kind has a violent side to it.. Nuclear power can't be the only thing we misused to create a weapon.... ?

 

~moo

[YT2095]

how about Agent Orange?

I`m sure that after it`s toxic effects were discovered it was still used regardless.

 

how about the Laser? (gun sights and weapons guidance).

 

Phosphorus?

 

Chlorine?

 

c`mon Mooey, there`s Dozens

[JohnB]

Any Bio or Nerve Agent.

 

"Oh look, someone's made a wonderful discovery about how the human body works that may lead to marvelous cures. How can we use this to massacre the largest number of people?"

[gcol]

Have you considered widening your enquiries towards things that "seemed a good idea at the time", or ideas that invoked the law of unintended consequences.

 

Some examples:

 

Pesticides and defoliants that were developed as agri-aids.

 

The introduction of alien species to control a local pest problem (cane toads and ladybirds).

 

Genetic manipulation.

 

Social engineering.

 

Mass marketing.

 

Political propaganda.

 

Mind-bending techniques (an oportunist byproduct of general psychological experiments).

 

Ideas for manipulating climate change.

 

The depleting of groundwater resources and the diversion of rivers.

 

Some of these were arguably the result of 'pure and innocent' (if there is such a thing) research.

 

I remember a book from many years ago where the water have-nots of north africa and the middle east went to war against northern countries for control of dwindling water. (When a man is dying of thirst, his desperation can drive him to desperate measures).

[swansont]

Hm. Okay. Good point.

 

This is good, btw. But for shock-effect, I'm looking for something that was *intentionally* misused.. penicillin's side effect (that you described) isn't intentional.. it's not like doctors intentionally gave it away to make diseases stronger. I'm looking for an intentional twist to a scientific advancement.

 

I am looking for more immediate horrible effects. Weapons, mainly.

 

Human kind has a violent side to it.. Nuclear power can't be the only thing we misused to create a weapon.... ?

 

~moo

 

Was nuclear power "misused," though? The whole intent of the Manhattan project was to build a weapon, and that happened before power generathion was developed. The first (artificial) reactor was built as part of that project. So it's not like the technology developed and was then corrupted for military use.

 

A better example of that might be flight (heavier-than-air). The military wasn't interested in it at first. Rocketry might be another. These days, however, the military seems to err on the other side, and pursue a wider spectrum of proposals, including some outlandish schemes, in the hope that something will pan out (e.g. DARPA)

[ecoli]

Hm. Okay. Good point.

 

This is good, btw. But for shock-effect, I'm looking for something that was *intentionally* misused.. penicillin's side effect (that you described) isn't intentional.. it's not like doctors intentionally gave it away to make diseases stronger. I'm looking for an intentional twist to a scientific advancement.

true, but despite all the evidence of ill affects, the meat companies (esp. chickens) continue to deny these ill affects simply because it would be too expensive to change their ways.

[mooeypoo]

Yeah these are awesome. Thanks

 

I think I should specify why i'm looking for specifically "potentially awesome discoveries turned bad" types -- you know how in all those scifi movies and books, an advanced civilizations stops by, and when humans ask to share technology, the aliens won't because humans may 'destroy' themselves with it? Well my story is quite different (I'm not *that* predictable ) but this part is on the same note. So usually the obvious example given is the A-Bomb, but i was looking for more, perhaps less obvious or less known ones.

 

Also remember I'm not an american originally -- some of these examples are completely obvious to you, but for me, it was the first time I heard about them

 

anyways, I'm going to conduct some research on these suggestions. But if you have any more, I'll be happy to hear

 

Thanks!!

 

~moo

[iNow]

What about DDT?

 

http://www.epa.gov/history/topics/ddt/02.htm

[YT2095]

I agree, DDT was the 1`st thing that came to my mind also, but I wasn`t sure about it ever being Weaponized??? (so I chose agent orange).

 

so I didn`t present it, but I think it Should qualify.

[ecoli]

What about DDT?

 

http://www.epa.gov/history/topics/ddt/02.htm

 

DDT is harmful in the way it was applied. In current day africa, it is still shown to be useful if applied selectively. The reason I think it got such a bad rap in the 60s are that Americans are idiots when it comes to chemicals. They think if it works on a small scale, increasing the dosage by 5,000X and it will work 5,000X better.

 

In silent spring, Rachel Carson even said, that DDT use should be limited, not completely stopped.

[John Cuthber]

Dynamite; the Nobel peace prize shouldn't be ironic.

[Sisyphus]

So basically anything that's been used to make weapons would qualify? Isn't that almost anything? Also, isn't that very subjective? Nuclear weapons probably prevented world war 3, for example.

[CDarwin]

Fire

[mooeypoo]

Fire

 

Ironically -- that's brilliant! I'm so gonna use it.. seriously.. I didn't even think about it.

 

So basically anything that's been used to make weapons would qualify? Isn't that almost anything? Also, isn't that very subjective? Nuclear weapons probably prevented world war 3, for example.

 

That's true. My story, btw, has a certain ethical discussion to it along with the sci-fi stuff. Anyways, I am not sure if it did, but even so, the entire point is the price and the fact that because of the A-Bomb, people in our world automatically link Nuclear Power with death instead of energy which.. well.. stops progress quite substantially in that aspect.

 

Good point, though. And yes, it is most weapons. Though I loved the fire idea, and Dynamite too.. I guess gun powder too.

 

Thanks guys

[DrDNA]

Almost every technology ever invented has a dark side. Dynamite, radar, sonar, the horse drawn wagon,.....medicines have been used, abused and used to poison.....trained dolphins have been used by the military.....

 

But how about Heroine.

Originally marketed by Bayer as a "nonaddictive" alternative to morphine and a cough remedy. Now considered to be of absolutely no use what so ever except abuse.

 

But my favorite is "my problem child" LSD.

[JohnB]

Mooeypoo, if you get the chance watch the old Sci Fi movie "Forbidden Planet" to see how a great and seemingly innocent idea can have totally unexpected (and fatal) consequences.

[ghstofmaxwll]

On a side note, does the opening narration to Forbidden Planet chill other people? It does me.

 

...listen carefully to the very first line of the narration (where the seekbar is at the start of the red heart) and think about it! I cant see how this can fail to fill one with awe.

[mooeypoo]

Holy hell I barely recognized Leslie Nielsen...

 

BTW.. I'm ordering that movie.. I know it's classified "a classic" but I have never heard about it before....

 

Ah, btw, *finally* I see where Paris from Startrek:Voyager took the robot from...

 

[Pangloss]

The automobile results in, what, 20,000 deaths per year in the US alone?

[Mr Skeptic]

RFID tags -- The government would never abuse the ability to track every citizen individually

drugs -- always getting abused, even for "safe" ones like caffeine