The 10 inventions of the third millennium that have most changed our lives

The third millennium, although only three years old, has already produced a series of inventions that have had a powerful impact on the society and daily life of the inhabitants of our planet in a very short time. The primacy of innovation goes to technology, science and medicine, all areas in which progress over the last 15 years has been so rapid and far-reaching as to make easy what previously seemed impossible.

The 10 newly introduced innovations that have had the most significant impact on society as a whole are Found's survey! to identify them, he has monitored 50 international publications and interviewed 60 experts in sociology, science and innovation.

The survey attributes the first place to social networks, which have revolutionized social relations and communication in the broadest sense of the term. The second place goes to the smartphone, the operative tool of that new way of conceiving social interactions and communication that has in fact spread and accelerated its reach at a global level. Then the laser: in particular its use in medicine, which has revolutionized the surgical techniques making them less dangerous and invasive, but also the applications that are made in the recovery of works of art, monuments and archaeological sites.

In fourth place is USB technology, which has made it possible to connect different devices for the fast transfer of data, and fifth is GPS, the global positioning system through satellite signal that, now available on any smartphone, has made maps and maps obsolete and allowed the development of myriad geolocalized services. 3D printing is sixth: although it is not yet widely distributed and used, its potential is high, because it allows to produce a large number of everyday objects "in-house".

Wikipedia, the "collective" encyclopedia that in 2016 turns 15 and whose impact has been to revolutionize the ways of access to knowledge, hybrid cars, which mark the beginning of the end of dependence on fossil hydrocarbons, at least in the field of mobility, and the iPod, the invention of Steve Jobs, which has changed forever the way of enjoying and listening.

Last but not least, the 60 experts placed the mapping of the human genome, which probably deserved something extra: understanding the function of genes is in fact the first step towards the development of drugs and therapies to treat otherwise incurable diseases.