Life Sciences

566 advances: 470 achieved, 53 at the frontier now, 43 ahead.

The frontier

Transplantation 1954 · frontier
Moving of an organ or tissue from one body or body region to another. Success of record-long (3 days rather than usually <12 hours) of human transplant organ preservation with machine perfusion of a liver is reported.
Cell therapy 1968 · frontier
Therapy in which cellular material is injected into a patient. Four cell therapy companies die.
Umbrella review 1990 · frontier
Review of systematic reviews or meta-analyses.
Med-PaLM (LLM medical QA) 2022 · frontier
Google: the first LLM to pass the USMLE threshold; Med-PaLM 2 scored about 86.5% (2023).
Tirzepatide 2022 · frontier
A dual GIP/GLP-1 agonist.
Telomere-to-telomere genome 2022 · frontier
The first gapless human genome.
AlphaFold Protein Structure Database (200M structures) 2022 · frontier
Predicted structures for nearly all known proteins.
Biosensor 2022 · frontier
Probe which tests for biological molecules. Scientists report the development of sensors to gather and identify DNA of animals from air (airborne eDNA).
Complete human genome (telomere-to-telomere) 2022 · frontier
Complete set of nucleic acid sequence for humans. Publication of research reporting the sequencing of the remaining gap of the Human genome.
Necrobotics 2022 · frontier
Practice of using biotic materials as robotic components. Researchers introduce the concept of necrobotics and demonstrate it by repurposing dead spiders as robotic grippers by activating their gripping arms via applying pressurized air.
Ectogenesis 2022 · frontier
Artificial growth of an organism. First report of Synthetic embryos grown exclusively from mouse embryonic stem cells, without sperm or eggs or a uterus, with natural-like development and some surviving until day 8.5 where early organogenesis, including formation of fo…
Remote controlled animal 2022 · frontier
Animals controlled remotely by humans. Researchers report the development of remote controlled cyborg cockroaches functional if moving to sunlight for recharging.
Bio-printing 2022 · frontier
Biomaterials 3D printing. First success of a clinical trial for a 3D bioprinted transplant, an external ear to treat microtia, that is made from the patient's own cells is reported.
Cartilage 2022 · frontier
Resilient and smooth elastic tissue, rubber-like padding that covers and protects the ends of long bones at the joints. Lab-made cartilage gel based on a synthetic hydrogel composite is found to have greater strength and wear resistance than natural cartilage, which could enable the durable resurfacing of damaged articulating joints.
Microphyte 2022 · frontier
Microscopic algae, typically found in freshwater and marine systems, living in both the water column and sediment. Nanoengineers report the development of biocompatible microalgae hybrid microrobots for active drug-delivery in the lungs and the gastrointestinal tract (GT).
First CRISPR therapy (Casgevy) 2023 · frontier
Approved for sickle-cell disease, Dec 2023.
AI-designed drugs 2023 · frontier
First AI-discovered drugs enter Phase 2.
AlphaMissense 2023 · frontier
It classified 71 million missense variants.
AI mammography screening (MASAI trial) 2023 · frontier
A Swedish RCT: AI-supported screening cut radiologist workload 44% with no loss of detection.
Anti-amyloid Alzheimer's antibodies (lecanemab) 2023 · frontier
A modest slowing of decline.
CRISPR cure for sickle cell (Casgevy approval) 2023 · frontier
UK (Nov 2023) and FDA (Dec 2023).
Biocomposite 2023 · frontier
Composite material reinforced by natural fibers. Researchers report the development of a biocomposite 3D printing ink, BactoInk, containing calcium carbonate -producing microorganisms which could be used for restoration, artificial reefs and potentially bone-repair.
Neuroenhancement 2023 · frontier
Targeted enhancement and extension of cognition in the healthy. Researchers demonstrate functional integration [ broken anchor ] of a magnetically steered microbot containing neurons, 'Mag-Neurobot', in a mouse "organotypic hippocampal slice" ( OHS ) as physical (semi-)artificial neurons.
Artificial gene synthesis 2023 · frontier
Fully artificial DNA production method based on solid-phase DNA synthesis. In 10 studies, researchers of the Sc2.0 project report yeast with a half- synthetic genome.
Working animal 2023 · frontier
Domesticated animals for assisting people.
COVID-19 drug development 2023 · frontier
Preventative and therapeutic medications for COVID-19 infection. The world's first COVID-19 drug designed by generative AI is approved for human use, with clinical trials expected to begin in China. The new drug, ISM3312, is developed by Insilico Medicine.
Cryopreservation 2023 · frontier
Process where cells, whole tissues, etc. are preserved by cooling to sub-zero temperatures. The first successful transplant of a functional cryopreserved mammalian kidney is reported. The study demonstrates a "nanowarming" technique for vitrification for up-to-100 days preservation of transplant organs.
Brain-reading 2023 · frontier
Use of brain measurements, e.g., fMRI or EEG, to decode brain stimuli. Researchers demonstrated a non-invasive brain-reading method. It can translate a person's neural activity into a continuous stream of text using fMRI data and transformer machine learning.
Bird intelligence 2023 · frontier
Study of intelligence in birds. Researchers showed parrots can use and enjoy using a videocalling system.
Brain implant 2023 · frontier
Technological devices that connect directly to a biological subject's brain. Researchers demonstrated an open-brain surgery-free brain implant, Stentrode, that can record brain activity from a nearby blood vessel, showing it can be used to operate a computer.
Artificial cell 2023 · frontier
Engineered particle that mimics one or many functions of a biological cell. A study demonstrated functional integration of a magnetically steered microbot containing neurons, 'Mag-Neurobot', in a mouse " organotypic hippocampal slice " as physical (semi-) artificial neurons.
Implant 2023 · frontier
Medical device surgically installed in the body to replace, support, or enhance a biological structure. Researchers reported the development of a fuel cell implant powered by blood glucose. It can also release insulin at certain levels and have enough energy to allow smartphone implant control.
Respiratory syncytial virus vaccine 2023 · frontier
Vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). 2023 – First respiratory syncytial virus vaccine
Chikungunya vaccine 2023 · frontier
Vaccine intended to provide acquired immunity against the chikungunya virus. 2023 – First vaccine for Chikungunya
Brain-computer interfaces 2024 · frontier
Neuralink first human implant, Jan 2024.
Ambient AI scribes at scale 2024 · frontier
DAX Copilot and Abridge, rolled out across large systems (e.g. Kaiser Permanente, 2024).
Pig kidney xenotransplant (living patient) 2024 · frontier
MGH, March 2024: a gene-edited pig kidney.
AMIE diagnostic dialogue AI 2024 · frontier
A Google research system that beat primary-care physicians on simulated consultations.
Neuralink first human implant 2024 · frontier
Jan 2024; patient Noland Arbaugh.
AlphaFold 3 2024 · frontier
Joint structures of proteins, DNA, RNA, and ligands (Nature, May 2024).
Nobel Prize in Chemistry for AlphaFold 2024 · frontier
Hassabis and Jumper (with Baker) win the 2024 Chemistry Nobel.
Cellular agriculture 2024 · frontier
Production of agriculture products from cell cultures.
FDA-cleared AI medical devices pass 1,000 2025 · frontier
The FDA's AI-enabled device list passed 1,000 entries, about 75% in radiology.
Rentosertib (ISM001-055) phase 2a 2025 · frontier
Insilico's AI-discovered target and molecule for IPF showed a lung-function signal (Nature Medicine, 2025).
First personalized base-editing therapy (baby KJ) 2025 · frontier
CHOP and Penn built a bespoke in vivo editor for CPS1 deficiency within months.
Virtual cell foundation models 2025 · frontier
AI models trained on hundreds of millions of single cells that predict how a cell responds to a gene edit or a drug: Arc Institute's State model and Virtual Cell Challenge (2025), CZI and Biohub's Billion Cells Project, and Tahoe's perturbation atlases.
Twice-yearly HIV PrEP (lenacapavir) 2025 · frontier
FDA approved Yeztugo in June 2025.
Tahoe-100M perturbation atlas 2025 · frontier
Tahoe Therapeutics released about 100 million single cells profiled under drug perturbations, the largest open perturbation dataset at release.
First in vivo prime editing in a human (Wilson's disease) 2026 · frontier
Prime Medicine dosed the first patient in a trial that rewrites DNA directly in liver cells.
Implantable ultrasound drug-delivery device for glioblastoma 2026 · frontier
MIT device releases drugs and uses ultrasound to spread them past the blood-brain barrier (mouse study).
AI-guided transgene-free crop editing pipeline (Biographica + Hudson River) 2026 · frontier
AI gene-target ranking paired with transgene-free editing and regeneration, starting with tomatoes.
Neuralink VOICE speech BCI: ALS participant at 75 wpm, 5.8% WER in first week (claimed) 2026 · frontier
First published speed/accuracy figures from Neuralink's VOICE early-feasibility trial (NCT07224256): one ALS participant decoded attempted speech to text and voice at 75 wpm on a 125k-word vocabulary; presented at NEALS 2026 by PI Nader Pouratian.
AI agent selects gene-therapy vector and performs stereotaxic injection in epileptic mouse (claimed) 2026 · frontier
Exin Therapeutics (YC) says an AI agent chose among 19 vectors, computed brain coordinates from literature and drove a motorized rig to inject 250 nL into a mouse epilepsy model, with a veterinarian holding a kill switch; the mouse recovered.
Engineered pandemic risk 2030 · future
Speculative risk.
Unlimited healthy human lifespan · future · progress: none
Aging stops being a cause of death: damage is repaired faster than it accumulates, in every tissue, including the brain. It is largely an engineering and biology problem, with no new physics required.
Origin of life (abiogenesis) · future · progress: early
How chemistry became biology: a full, reproducible path from simple molecules to a self-replicating, evolving cell.
De novo designed protein machines · future · progress: demonstrated
AI-designed proteins that act as motors, switches, and enzymes nature never evolved. These are the soft path to molecular machines.
Closed-loop ecological life support · future · progress: early
Recycling air, water, and food at near 100%. The ISS recycles about 98% of its water; full closure has never lasted.
Validated aging biomarkers as trial endpoints · future · progress: demonstrated
Epigenetic and proteomic clocks accepted by regulators as surrogate endpoints, so longevity trials take years instead of decades.
First AI-discovered drug approved · future · progress: demonstrated
A drug whose target and molecule were both found by AI, completing regulatory approval.
Population-scale cancer early detection · future · progress: demonstrated
Blood tests that catch dozens of cancers at stage I across whole populations.
In vivo CAR-T and off-the-shelf cell therapy · future · progress: demonstrated
Engineering a patient's immune cells inside the body, with no lab manufacturing step.
Universal flu vaccine · future · progress: early
One vaccine covering all influenza strains, the template for universal vaccines.
Routine xenotransplantation · future · progress: demonstrated
Gene-edited pig organs as a standard transplant option.
Approved senolytic therapies · future · progress: early
Drugs that clear senescent cells and are approved for age-related disease.
Targeted gene delivery to any tissue · future · progress: demonstrated
Lipid nanoparticles and engineered capsids that reach any organ, including brain and muscle, on command.
Multiplex somatic genome editing · future · progress: early
Safely rewriting dozens of genes in adult tissue at once, from protective variants to whole-pathway upgrades.
Virtual cell to virtual human simulation · future · progress: early
Predictive simulation from molecules to organs, so therapies are tested in silico before any patient.
Partial reprogramming therapies in humans · future · progress: early
Cyclic Yamanaka-factor treatments that restore youthful epigenetic states without causing cancer.
Immune system rejuvenation · future · progress: early
Regrowing the thymus and resetting immune memory, restoring a young immune system.
Cancer as a managed condition · future · progress: demonstrated
Detection early enough and therapy precise enough that cancer rarely kills.
Organs on demand · future · progress: early
Grown, printed, or xeno-derived replacement organs for anyone who needs them, matched to their own cells.
Vascularized bioprinted tissue · future · progress: early
Printing thick tissue with working blood vessels, the bottleneck for printed organs.
Longevity escape velocity · future · progress: none
Life expectancy rises by more than a year per year: therapies outpace aging.
Brain rejuvenation that preserves identity · future · progress: none
Restoring youthful neurons and synapses while keeping the memories and personality they encode. Deep unknowns remain about how identity is stored.
Cell-repair nanomachines · future · progress: none
Medical nanobots that patrol tissues, removing damage and repairing DNA (Freitas's nanomedicine program).
High-bandwidth brain–computer interfaces · future · progress: demonstrated
Implants with tens of thousands of channels, reading and writing neural activity at the speed of speech and beyond.
Neural integration (human–AI merge) · future · progress: early
Thought-speed, two-way links between human cortex and AI systems that feel like extensions of the self.
Whole-brain connectome of a fly · future · progress: deploying
Every neuron and synapse of an adult fruit-fly brain mapped (FlyWire, 2024), a first full wiring diagram of a complex brain.
Whole mouse-brain connectome · future · progress: demonstrated
Synapse-level wiring of a mammalian brain. Cubic-millimetre pieces have already been mapped (MICrONS).
Human connectome at synaptic resolution · future · progress: early
Mapping all of a human brain's roughly 86 billion neurons and their synapses, a zettabyte-scale imaging and AI problem.
Molecular-state brain mapping · future · progress: early
Recording synapse strengths, receptor types, and gene expression, not just wiring, which emulation likely needs.
Non-destructive whole-brain readout · future · progress: none
Reading a living brain's full state without destroying it, through nanoscale probes or new imaging physics.
Engineered pioneer organisms · future · progress: early
Microbes and lichens designed to survive Martian cold, radiation, and perchlorate soil while making oxygen and soil.
Ecopoiesis: seeding a self-sustaining biosphere · future · progress: none
Establishing a succession of engineered ecosystems that build soil and oxygen over generations.
Food abundance via fermentation and cultivated food · future · progress: demonstrated
Protein, fats, and sugars brewed from electricity, CO2, and microbes, decoupling food from farmland.
Whole-genome synthesis · future · progress: demonstrated
Writing entire genomes from scratch (synthetic yeast, then multicellular genomes) so organisms can be designed, not just edited.
Designed synthetic cells · future · progress: demonstrated
Cells built from designed parts, the chassis for pioneer organisms and living factories.
Radiation-resistant human cells · future · progress: early
Borrowing DNA-protection genes (such as tardigrade Dsup) and repair pathways to protect astronauts and slow damage-driven aging.
Suspended animation and hibernation · future · progress: early
Safely pausing human metabolism for months, for emergency medicine and long voyages.
Organ cryopreservation and rewarming · future · progress: demonstrated
Banking organs indefinitely by vitrification with uniform nanoparticle rewarming, already shown for rat kidneys.
Neurodegeneration cured · future · progress: early
Stopping and reversing Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and ALS, a prerequisite for a healthy brain over centuries.
Mitochondrial repair · future · progress: early
Replacing or backing up damaged mitochondrial DNA (allotopic expression), one of the hallmarks of aging.
Clearing aging aggregates · future · progress: demonstrated
Engineered enzymes and antibodies that remove lipofuscin, amyloids, and crosslinks that cells cannot clear themselves.
Continuous molecular health monitoring · future · progress: demonstrated
Wearables and implants tracking biomarkers continuously, so disease is caught as a trend and not as a crisis.
Engineered microbiome therapies · future · progress: deploying
Designed gut and skin microbial communities that treat disease and support closed-loop life support.

How we got here

Brain mapping 2021 · achieved
Imaging techniques used to colocalize sites of brain functions or physiological activity with brain structures. The most comprehensive 3D map of the human brain – of a millionth of a brain and requiring 1.4 petabytes of storage space – was published.
Cerebral organoid 2021 · achieved
Artificially grown miniature organ resembling the brain. Scientists demonstrate that grown brain cells integrated into digital systems can carry out goal-directed tasks with performance-scores.
Xenobot 2021 · achieved
First living, self-healing robot. A team of scientists reports a new form of biological reproduction in the, <1 mm sized, xenobots that are made up of and are emersed in frog cells.
Biobased economy 2021 · achieved
Economic activity derived from scientific and research activity focused on biotechnology. Researchers report the world's first artificial synthesis of starch.
CZI CELLxGENE single-cell data platform 2021 · achieved
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative's open, standardized corpus of tens of millions of single cells, used to train virtual-cell models.
Semaglutide for obesity (Wegovy) 2021 · achieved
About 15% weight loss.
Paxlovid 2021 · achieved
Oral COVID antiviral.
Multi-cancer early detection blood test 2021 · achieved
GRAIL Galleri, launched as a lab-developed test.
Malaria vaccines (RTS,S; R21) 2021 · achieved
WHO recommended RTS,S in 2021 and R21 (Oxford / Serum Institute) in 2023.
First in vivo CRISPR (NTLA-2001) 2021 · achieved
Intellia: a single infusion edited liver cells (NEJM).
Paige Prostate, first AI pathology clearance 2021 · achieved
FDA de novo authorization.
CRISPR-edited foods and livestock 2021 · achieved
Japan's high-GABA tomato (2021) was the first CRISPR food on sale; the FDA approved PRRS-resistant gene-edited pigs in 2025.
Precision fermentation 2021 · achieved
Animal-free proteins from microbes.
GLP-1 drugs 2021 · achieved
Semaglutide (Wegovy) for obesity, 2021.
Cryogenic electron microscopy 2020 · achieved
Form of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) where the sample is studied at cryogenic temperatures. 2020 - Two independent groups led respectively by Holger Stark and Sjors Scheres demonstrated that single-particle cryoelectron microscopy has reached atomic resolution.
Cyborg 2020 · achieved
Being with both organic and biomechatronic body parts. July 15 – A cyborg beetle with a camera was demonstrated. It streams video to a smartphone via Bluetooth for a "bug's eye view".
COVID-19 vaccine 2020 · achieved
Vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. 2020 – First vaccine for COVID-19.
COVID-19 test 2020 · achieved
Diagnostic testing for the respiratory illness COVID-19 and the underlying pathogen SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.
Gam-COVID-Vac 2020 · achieved
Russian viral vector vaccine based on human adenovirus. First vaccine of its kind ( Gam-COVID-Vac ) approved by governmental authorities.
OSK reprogramming restores vision in mice 2020 · achieved
Lu et al. (Nature, Dec 2020), Sinclair lab.
Telemedicine at scale 2020 · achieved
COVID pushed televisits from about 1% to about 13–17% of US visits (2020).
Viral-vector COVID vaccine (Oxford–AstraZeneca) 2020 · achieved
Billions of cheap doses.
mRNA vaccines 2020 · achieved
COVID-19 vaccines in under a year, 2020.
AlphaFold 2 2020 · achieved
Protein structure solved, CASP14 2020; Nobel 2024.
Ebola vaccine 2019 · achieved
Vaccine to prevent Ebola. 2019 – First vaccine for Ebola approved
Zolgensma 2019 · achieved
Gene therapy for SMA.
Prime editing 2019 · achieved
Anzalone and Liu.
Polygenic embryo screening 2019 · achieved
Commercial polygenic risk scoring of IVF embryos (Genomic Prediction, 2019; Orchid, Heliospect).
AlphaFold 1 wins CASP13 2018 · achieved
Top CASP13 protein-structure prediction.
Viz.ai stroke triage 2018 · achieved
The first FDA de novo computer-aided triage clearance.
IDx-DR, first autonomous AI diagnostic 2018 · achieved
FDA de novo clearance for diabetic retinopathy screening.
Tisagenlecleucel 2017 · achieved
Medication. 2017 – First autologous CAR T-cell therapy tisagenlecleucel approved for the treatment of pediatric B-ALL; second autologous CAR T-cell therapy axicabtagene ciloleucel (Yescarta) is approved
Handheld ultrasound (Butterfly iQ) 2017 · achieved
Ultrasound on a chip.
CAR-T (Kymriah) 2017 · achieved
Engineered T-cells approved for leukemia.
Luxturna 2017 · achieved
The first FDA-approved in vivo gene therapy (inherited retinal disease).
Human Cell Atlas 2016 · achieved
An open international consortium launched in 2016 to map every cell type in the human body.
Artificial pancreas (MiniMed 670G) 2016 · achieved
The first FDA-approved hybrid closed-loop insulin system.
Partial reprogramming in vivo 2016 · achieved
Ocampo et al. (Salk): cyclic Yamanaka factors rejuvenated mice.
Base editing 2016 · achieved
David Liu's lab.
Dengue vaccine 2015 · achieved
Vaccine used to prevent dengue fever in humans. 2015 – First vaccine for dengue fever
Metformin / TAME trial 2015 · achieved
Barzilai's Targeting Aging with Metformin, proposed 2015; designed as the first trial with aging as an indication.
Senolytics 2015 · achieved
Dasatinib plus quercetin cleared senescent cells (Kirkland, Mayo).
$1,000 genome 2014 · achieved
Illumina HiSeq X.
Anti-PD-1 (pembrolizumab) 2014 · achieved
Honjo's PD-1 discovery.
Libre CGM mass adoption 2014 · achieved
FreeStyle Libre, a cheap factory-calibrated sensor used by millions.
Hallmarks of Aging 2013 · achieved
López-Otín et al. (Cell 2013): nine hallmarks, expanded to twelve in 2023.
Epigenetic clock (Horvath) 2013 · achieved
A DNA-methylation age predictor across tissues (Genome Biology 2013).
Hepatitis C cure (sofosbuvir) 2013 · achieved
More than 95% cure rates.
HIV PrEP (Truvada) 2012 · achieved
Prevention pill.
Glybera, first approved gene therapy 2012 · achieved
EU approval for LPL deficiency.
DNA data storage 2012 · achieved
Church encoded a book in DNA, 2012.
CRISPR-Cas9 2012 · achieved
Doudna and Charpentier, 2012.
Uterus transplantation 2011 · achieved
Surgical procedure. 2011 – First successful Uterus transplant from a deceased donor in Turkey
Noninvasive prenatal testing 2011 · achieved
Cell-free fetal DNA screening.
Checkpoint inhibitors (ipilimumab) 2011 · achieved
The first CTLA-4 drug; then anti-PD-1 pembrolizumab (2014).
Gain-of-function research 2011 · achieved
Controversial H5N1 transmissibility studies, 2011.
Transcription activator-like effector nucleases 2010 · achieved
Artificial nucleases that cleave DNA at a defined distance from specific sequences. 2010: Transcription activator-like effector nucleases (or TALENs) are first used to cut specific sequences of DNA.
Synthetic biology 2010 · achieved
Venter synthetic genome cell, 2010.
Single-cell RNA sequencing 2009 · achieved
Tang et al. (Nature Methods, 2009) sequenced the full transcriptome of a single cell; droplet methods (2015) scaled it to millions of cells.
Rapamycin extends mouse lifespan 2009 · achieved
An NIA Interventions Testing Program result (Nature, 2009).
Genomic selection in breeding 2009 · achieved
Meuwissen et al. (2001) proposed it; US dairy adopted it in 2009, roughly doubling genetic gain.
Visual prosthesis 2007 · achieved
Experimental visual device intended to restore functional vision in those suffering from partial or total blindness. 2007 – The visual prosthetic (bionic eye) Argus II.
G protein-coupled receptor structure 2007 · achieved
Large protein family of receptors that detect molecules outside the cell and activate internal signal transduction pathways and cellular responses. 2007 - Two X-ray crystal structures of a GPCR, the human β2 adrenergic receptor, were published.
Direct-to-consumer genetics (23andMe) 2007 · achieved
Consumer genotyping.
Herpes zoster vaccine 2006 · achieved
Any vaccine to prevent shingles. 2006 – First herpes zoster vaccine for shingles
HPV vaccine 2006 · achieved
Gardasil.
Induced pluripotent stem cells (Yamanaka) 2006 · achieved
Yamanaka: four factors reprogram adult cells (2006); Nobel Prize 2012.
BrainGate (Utah array) BCI 2006 · achieved
A tetraplegic patient controlled a cursor by thought.
Face transplant 2005 · achieved
Medical procedure to replace a person's face using donor tissue. 2005 – Jean-Michel Dubernard performs the first partial face transplant.
Heterochronic parabiosis rejuvenation 2005 · achieved
Conboy et al. (Nature 2005): young blood restored muscle and liver regeneration in old mice.
Exenatide (first GLP-1 drug) 2005 · achieved
Derived from Gila monster saliva.
Modified-nucleoside mRNA (Karikó–Weissman) 2005 · achieved
Pseudouridine substitution stopped the immune reaction to mRNA.
Next-gen DNA sequencing 2005 · achieved
454/Illumina; the $1,000 genome by ~2015.
NAD+ precursor research 2004 · achieved
Bieganowski and Brenner (Cell 2004) identified nicotinamide riboside as an NAD+ precursor; NAD+ declines with age.
Electronic cigarette 2003 · achieved
Device usually used to quit or be an alternative to tobacco. Electronic cigarette (vape): Hon Lik, a Chinese pharmacist, is credited with the invention of the modern electronic cigarette.
Human Genome Project 2003 · achieved
Completed 2003.
Adalimumab (Humira) 2002 · achieved
The best-selling biologic ever.
Remote surgery 2001 · achieved
Ability for a doctor to perform surgery on a patient even though they are not physically in the same location. 2001 – The first telesurgery was performed by Jacques Marescaux.
Contraceptive patch 2001 · achieved
Transdermal patch applied to prevent pregnancy. 2001: The Food and Drug Administration approved the first contraceptive patch
Capsule endoscopy 2001 · achieved
Given Imaging PillCam.
Human Genome Project draft 2001 · achieved
The draft was published in Feb 2001; the reference was completed in 2003.
Imatinib (Gleevec) 2001 · achieved
A kinase inhibitor that turned CML into a manageable disease.
Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine 2000 · achieved
Pneumococcal vaccine and a conjugate vaccine. 2000 – First pneumococcal conjugate vaccine approved in the U.S. (PCV7 or Prevnar)
Continuous glucose monitor 1999 · achieved
The first FDA-approved CGM (MiniMed).
Rotavirus vaccine 1998 · achieved
Type of vaccine. 1998 – First vaccine for rotavirus
Stem-cell therapy 1998 · achieved
Use of stem cells to treat or prevent a disease or condition. 1998 – Stem cell therapy – James Thomson
Trastuzumab (Herceptin) 1998 · achieved
A targeted antibody for HER2 breast cancer.
OxyContin marketing and the opioid epidemic 1996 · achieved
Purdue's aggressive marketing; more than 500,000 US overdose deaths since 1999.
Combination antiretroviral therapy 1996 · achieved
HIV became a chronic disease.
Genetically modified crops 1996 · achieved
Bt maize and Roundup Ready soy were commercialized in 1996.
Flavr Savr 1994 · achieved
Vegetable. 1994 – The United States Food and Drug Administration approves the first GM food: the " Flavr Savr " tomato.
DNA computing 1994 · achieved
Adleman's Hamiltonian path, 1994.
Intracytoplasmic sperm injection 1992 · achieved
In vitro fertilization procedure. 1992 – Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) – Andre van Steirteghem
Hepatitis A vaccine 1991 · achieved
Vaccine to prevent Hepatitis A. 1991 – First vaccine for hepatitis A
Porin 1991 · achieved
Group of transport proteins having channels which consist largely of α-helical or β-strand-type spanners. 1991 - Georg E. Schulz and colleagues reported the structure of a bacterial porin, a membrane protein with a cylindrical shape (a ‘ β-barrel ').
Evidence-based medicine 1991 · achieved
Guyatt (McMaster) coined the term; the Cochrane Collaboration followed in 1993.
Hantavirus vaccine 1990 · achieved
Vaccine that protects humans against hantavirus infections. 1990 – First vaccine for hantavirus hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome
Gamow bag 1990 · achieved
An inflatable pressure bag. 1990 – Gamow bag ® – Igor Gamow
LASIK 1990 · achieved
Pallikaris.
First gene therapy (ADA-SCID) 1990 · achieved
Ashanti DeSilva, NIH.
Preimplantation genetic testing 1990 · achieved
Handyside's first PGD pregnancies (London, 1990).
DNA microarray 1989 · achieved
Use of large set of oligonucleotide probes. 1989 – DNA microarray – Stephen Fodor
Erythropoietin (Epogen) 1989 · achieved
Amgen.
Cataract surgery 1988 · achieved
Ocular surgery performed to remove cataracts. 1988 – Laser cataract surgery – Patricia Bath
Proton-pump inhibitors (omeprazole) 1988 · achieved
Astra.
Tissue engineering 1987 · achieved
Combination of cells, engineering, and materials methods, and suitable biochemical and physicochemical factors to improve or replace biological tissues. 1987 – Tissue engineering – Joseph Vacanti & Robert Langer
RTS,S 1987 · achieved
Malaria vaccine. The World Health Organization endorses the first malaria vaccine – the antiparasitic RTS,S.
CRISPR 1987 · achieved
Family of DNA sequence found in prokaryotic organisms. 1987: Yoshizumi Ishino discovers and describes part of a DNA sequence which later will be called CRISPR.
Deep brain stimulation 1987 · achieved
Benabid, Grenoble.
SSRIs (fluoxetine) 1987 · achieved
Prozac.
AZT (first HIV drug) 1987 · achieved
Zidovudine.
Lovastatin approved 1987 · achieved
The first marketed statin (Merck).
Coronary stent 1986 · achieved
Sigwart and Puel.
Recombinant hepatitis B vaccine 1986 · achieved
The first recombinant vaccine.
Hib vaccine 1985 · achieved
Vaccine. 1985 – First vaccine for Haemophilus influenzae type b (HiB)
Robot-assisted surgery 1985 · achieved
Surgical procedure aided by robotic systems. 1985 – Surgical robot – Yik San Kwoh
DNA sequencer 1985 · achieved
A scientific instrument used to automate the DNA sequencing process. 1985 – Automated DNA sequencer – Leroy Hood and Lloyd Smith
Laparoscopic surgery 1985 · achieved
Mühe's laparoscopic gallbladder removal (1985).
Varicella vaccine 1984 · achieved
Vaccine to prevent chickenpox. 1984 – First vaccine for chicken pox
DNA profiling 1984 · achieved
Technique used to identify an individual on the basis of their DNA characteristics. 1984: DNA profiling is pioneered by Alec Jeffreys.
T-cell receptor 1983 · achieved
Molecule found on the surface of some immune cells. 1983 – Discovery of the T cell antigen receptor TCR ( Ellis Reinherz ) ( Philippa Marrack and John Kappler ), ( James Allison )
Polymerase chain reaction 1983 · achieved
In vitro method for producing large amounts of specific DNA or RNA fragments from small amounts of short oligonucleotide primers. 1983: Kary Banks Mullis invents the polymerase chain reaction enabling the easy amplification of DNA.
HIV identified 1983 · achieved
Montagnier and Barré-Sinoussi.
Cyclosporine immunosuppression 1983 · achieved
It made transplants routine.
PCR 1983 · achieved
Mullis, 1983.
H. pylori causes ulcers 1982 · achieved
Marshall and Warren (Perth).
Jarvik-7 artificial heart 1982 · achieved
Barney Clark lived 112 days.
Recombinant insulin (Humulin) 1982 · achieved
The first recombinant drug (Genentech/Lilly).
Artificial skin 1981 · achieved
Material to regenerate or replace skin. 1981 – Artificial skin – John F. Burke and Ioannis V. Yannas
Amoxicillin/clavulanic acid 1981 · achieved
Combination drug. 1981 – co-amoxiclav ( amoxicillin / clavulanic acid )
Ivermectin 1981 · achieved
Ōmura and Campbell: river blindness and lymphatic filariasis drugs.
Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) 1980 · achieved
Therapy used to treat kidney stones and plantar fasciitis. 1980 – Lithotripter – Dornier Research Group
Interleukin-1 family 1980 · achieved
Group of cytokines playing a key role in the regulation of immune and inflammatory responses. 1980–1983 – Discovery and characterization of interleukins, 1 and 2 IL-1 IL-2 ( Robert Gallo, Kendall A. Smith, Tadatsugu Taniguchi )
Restriction fragment length polymorphism 1980 · achieved
Method. 1980: Scientists Mark Skolnick, Ron Davis, Ray White, and David Botstein published their findings on a gene mapping tool using Restriction Fragment-length Polymorphisms (RFLP), that would have applications to identify heritable disorder…
Implantable defibrillator 1980 · achieved
Mirowski.
Smallpox eradication 1980 · achieved
The WHO declared smallpox eradicated in 1980; the last case was in 1977.
Antiviral drug 1979 · achieved
Class of medications. 1979 – Antiviral drugs – George Hitchings and Gertrude Elion
Z-DNA 1979 · achieved
Left-handed double helical structure of DNA in which the helix winds to the left in a zigzag pattern. 1996: Alexander Rich discovered the Z-DNA, a type of DNA which is in a transient state, that is in some cases associated with DNA transcription.
Meningococcal vaccine 1978 · achieved
Vaccines used to prevent infection by Neisseria meningitidis. 1978 – First vaccine for meningitis ( Neisseria meningitidis )
Cisplatin 1978 · achieved
Cures most testicular cancer.
In vitro fertilisation 1978 · achieved
Louise Brown, born 1978 (Edwards and Steptoe, Oldham).
Pneumococcal vaccine 1977 · achieved
Vaccine to prevent infection by the bacterium Stretococcus pneumoniae. 1977 – First vaccine for pneumonia ( Streptococcus pneumoniae )
DNA sequencing 1977 · achieved
Technique in molecular biology. 1977: Dr Walter Gilbert and Frederick Sanger invented a new DNA sequencing method for which they won the Nobel Prize.
Tamoxifen 1977 · achieved
Hormonal breast cancer therapy.
Balloon angioplasty (Grüntzig) 1977 · achieved
Zurich.
MRI 1977 · achieved
First human scan, 1977.
H2 blockers (cimetidine) 1976 · achieved
James Black's second drug class.
First statin (mevastatin, Endo) 1976 · achieved
Akira Endo isolated it from a fungus.
PET scanning 1975 · achieved
Ter-Pogossian, Phelps and Hoffman (St. Louis).
Monoclonal antibodies (hybridoma) 1975 · achieved
Köhler and Milstein, Cambridge.
Liposuction 1974 · achieved
Procedure used in plastic surgery to remove unwanted fat. 1974 – Liposuction – Giorgio Fischer
Vaccine cold chain 1974 · achieved
Refrigerated vaccine logistics, central to the WHO immunization programme.
WHO Expanded Programme on Immunization 1974 · achieved
Global routine childhood vaccination.
Pulse oximetry 1974 · achieved
Takuo Aoyagi (Nihon Kohden).
GMO 1973 · achieved
Organisms whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering methods. 1971 – Genetically modified organisms – Ananda Chakrabart
Recombinant DNA 1973 · achieved
Cohen and Boyer, 1973.
Pristinamycin 1972 · achieved
Mixture of chemical compounds. 1972 – pristinamycin
Artemisinin 1972 · achieved
Tu Youyou, inspired by a 4th-century text.
Transdermal patch 1971 · achieved
Adhesive patch used to deliver medication through the skin. 1971 – Transdermal patches – Alejandro Zaffaroni
Magnetic resonance imaging 1971 · achieved
Non-destructive technique for imaging internal structures of objects or organisms. 1971 – Magnetic resonance imaging – Raymond Vahan Damadian
Amrapali 1971 · achieved
Mango cultivar. Amrapali mango – A named mango cultivar introduced in 1971 by Dr. Pijush Kanti Majumdar at the Indian Agriculture Research Institute in Delhi.
MMR vaccine 1971 · achieved
Hilleman, Merck.
ELISA 1971 · achieved
Engvall and Perlmann (Stockholm).
Computed tomography 1971 · achieved
Hounsfield's EMI scanner; Cormack's theory (South African-born).
Rubella vaccine 1970 · achieved
Vaccine used to prevent rubella. 1970 – First vaccine for rubella
Curing childhood leukemia (combination chemo) 1970~ · achieved
St. Jude Total Therapy; survival rose from near 0% to about 90% today.
Balloon catheter 1969 · achieved
Medical device. 1969 – Balloon catheter – Thomas Fogarty
Drug delivery 1968 · achieved
Methods for transporting a drug in the body as needed to safely achieve its desired effect. 1968 – Controlled drug delivery – Alejandro Zaffaron
Bacteriophage 1968 · achieved
Virus that infects and replicates within bacteria. 1968 - Aaron Klug and David DeRosier used electron microscopy to visualise the structure of the tail of bacteriophage T4, a common virus, thus signalling a breakthrough in macromolecular structure determination.
Oral rehydration therapy 1968 · achieved
Trials in Dhaka and Kolkata; sugar-salt solution for cholera.
Mumps vaccine 1967 · achieved
Vaccine which prevents mumps. 1967 – First vaccine for mumps
First human heart transplant 1967 · achieved
Christiaan Barnard, Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town.
Hayflick limit 1965 · achieved
Number of times a normal human cell population will divide until cell division stops; (in culture) phenomenon, when fibroblasts can reach a maximum of 50 cell divisions before becoming senescent. 1965: Leonard Hayflick and Paul Moorhead: normal cells divide only a certain number of times: the Hayflick limit
Interferon gamma 1965 · achieved
InterPro Family. 1965 – Discovery of "immune interferon" ( gamma interferon ) ( E.F. Wheelock )
Gentamicin 1964 · achieved
Pharmaceutic extract of Micromonospora purpurea. 1964 – gentamicin
RNA viruses 1964 · achieved
Subclass of viruses. 1964: Howard Temin showed using RNA viruses that the direction of DNA to RNA transcription can be reversed.
Declaration of Helsinki 1964 · achieved
Research ethics.
Surgeon General's report on smoking 1964 · achieved
Linked smoking to lung cancer; smoking rates fell.
Beta blockers (propranolol) 1964 · achieved
James Black.
Ramachandran plot 1963 · achieved
Way to visualize backbone dihedral angles ψ against φ of amino acid residues in protein structure.
Newborn screening (Guthrie PKU test) 1963 · achieved
Blood-spot screening for metabolic disease.
Measles vaccine 1963 · achieved
Enders' team.
Hemoglobin 1962 · achieved
Oxygen-transport metalloprotein in red blood cells of most vertebrates. 1960 - After many years of research, Max Perutz determined the structure of haemoglobin for which he shared the 1962 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Total hip replacement (Charnley) 1962 · achieved
Low-friction arthroplasty.
Drug approval cost explosion 1962 · achieved
Kefauver–Harris 1962; median cost per approved drug now over $1B.
Cochlear implant 1961 · achieved
William House's single-channel device.
Oral polio vaccine (Sabin) 1961 · achieved
Cheap oral vaccine; the workhorse of eradication.
Radioimmunoassay 1960 · achieved
Quantitative assay for detection of antigen-antibody reactions using a radioligand. 1960 – Radioimmunoassay – ( Rosalyn Sussman Yalow )
Operon 1960 · achieved
Group of open reading frames under the same regulation. 1960: Jacob and collaborators discover the operon, a group of genes whose expression is coordinated by an operator.
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation 1960 · achieved
Closed-chest compressions (Kouwenhoven, Safar).
Chronic hemodialysis (Scribner shunt) 1960 · achieved
The Seattle shunt enabled lifelong dialysis.
Oral contraceptive 1960 · achieved
FDA approval, 1960.
Green Revolution 1960 · achieved
Borlaug's semi-dwarf wheat; IR8 rice 1966.
Virginiamycin group 1959 · achieved
Group of antibiotics. 1959 – virginiamycin
Cholera toxin 1959 · achieved
Protein complex secreted by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. Cholera toxin – Cholera toxin was discovered in 1959 by Indian microbiologist Sambhu Nath De.
Implantable pacemaker 1958 · achieved
Elmqvist and Senning, Stockholm.
Adenovirus vaccine 1957 · achieved
Vaccine against adenovirus. 1957 – First vaccine for adenovirus -4 and 7
Clonal selection 1957 · achieved
Model of the immune system response to infection. 1957 – Clonal selection theory ( Frank Macfarlane Burnet )
Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation 1957 · achieved
Medical procedure to replace bone marrow stem cells. 2007: Timothy Ray Brown becomes the first person cured from HIV/AIDS through a Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
Thalidomide disaster 1957 · achieved
About 10,000 birth defects; it triggered the 1962 Kefauver–Harris rules.
Fiberoptic endoscope 1957 · achieved
Hirschowitz's gastroscope.
Metered-dose inhaler 1956 · achieved
Device that helps deliver a specific amount of medication to the lungs. 1956 – Metered-dose inhaler – 3M
Amniocentesis 1956 · achieved
Medical procedure used primarily in prenatal diagnoses of chromosomal abnormalities and fetal infections. 1992: American and British scientists unveiled a technique for testing embryos in-vitro ( Amniocentesis ) for genetic abnormalities such as Cystic fibrosis and Hemophilia.
Medical ultrasound 1956 · achieved
Ian Donald's obstetric ultrasound, 1956–58.
Cervical cerclage 1955 · achieved
Obstetrics medical procedure. Cervical cerclage – was first described by V. N. Shirodkar in Bombay in 1955.
Polio vaccine 1955 · achieved
Salk 1955; Sabin 1961.
Japanese encephalitis vaccine 1954 · achieved
Any of several vaccines against Japanese encephalitis. 1954 – First vaccine for Japanese encephalitis
Ventouse 1954 · achieved
Method to assist the delivery of a baby using a vacuum device. 1954 – Ventouse – Tage Malmstrom
Warfarin 1954 · achieved
Oral anticoagulant.
Kidney transplant (Murray) 1954 · achieved
Between identical twins, Boston.
Immune tolerance 1953 · achieved
Failure of a normally responsive individual to make an immune response to a known antigen. 1953 – Validation of immunological tolerance hypothesis
Heart–lung machine (Gibbon) 1953 · achieved
Enabled open-heart surgery.
Borlaug semi-dwarf wheat 1953 · achieved
Norin 10 dwarfing genes, bred in Mexico, went on to feed South Asia.
DNA double helix 1953 · achieved
Watson, Crick, and Franklin, 1953.
Cloning 1952 · achieved
Process of producing individual organisms with identical genomes. 1952 – Cloning – Robert Briggs and Thomas King
Photo 51 1952 · achieved
Photograph of X-ray diffraction image of DNA fibers. 1952: an X-ray diffraction image of DNA was taken by Raymond Gosling in May 1952, a student supervised by Rosalind Franklin.
Chlorpromazine 1952 · achieved
The first antipsychotic.
Mechanical ventilation and the ICU 1952 · achieved
Copenhagen polio epidemic: Ibsen's positive-pressure ventilation, then the first ICU.
HeLa 1951 · achieved
Cell line. 1951: George Otto Gey propagates first cancer cell line, HeLa
Alpha helix 1951 · achieved
Type of secondary structure. 1951 - Linus Pauling determined the structure of the α-helix and the β-sheet in polypeptide chains.
Penicillin G procaine 1950 · achieved
Chemical compound. 1950 – penicillin G procaine
Oxytetracycline 1950 · achieved
Second of the broad-spectrum tetracycline group of antibiotics to be discovered. 1950 – oxytetracycline
Nucleotide base 1950 · achieved
Nitrogen-containing biological compounds that form nucleosides. 1950: Erwin Chargaff determined the pairing method of nitrogenous bases. Chargaff and his team studied the DNA from multiple organisms and found three things (also known as Chargaff's rules ).
Neurotropic virus 1949 · achieved
Virus that is capable of infecting nerve cells. 1949 – Growth of polio virus in tissue culture, neutralization, and demonstration of attenuation of neurovirulence ( John Enders ), ( Thomas Weller ) and ( Frederick Robbins )
Neomycin 1949 · achieved
Antibiotic, mixture of chemical. 1949 – neomycin
Intraocular lens (Ridley) 1949 · achieved
An artificial lens after cataract surgery.
Frozen semen and livestock AI at scale 1949 · achieved
Polge's glycerol cryopreservation (1949) made global dairy-sire programs possible.
Transposable element 1948 · achieved
Semiparasitic DNA sequence, a major fraction of eukaryotic genomes. 1948: Barbara McClintock discovers transposons in maize.
Antifolate chemotherapy (Farber) 1948 · achieved
Aminopterin remissions in child leukemia.
Cortisone 1948 · achieved
Hench at the Mayo Clinic: steroids for arthritis.
Randomized controlled trial (MRC streptomycin) 1948 · achieved
The first modern randomized trial (UK Medical Research Council).
Colistin 1947 · achieved
Chemical compound. 1947 – Polymyxin E
Defibrillation 1947 · achieved
Beck's first successful human defibrillation.
Nuremberg Code 1947 · achieved
Informed consent for research subjects.
Major histocompatibility complex 1946 · achieved
Set of genes for cell surface proteins essential for the acquired immune system to recognize foreign molecules in vertebrates, which in turn determines histocompatibility. 1946 – Identification of mouse MHC (H2) ( George Snell and Peter A. Gorer )
Coombs test 1945 · achieved
Blood test used in immunohematology, application of anti-antibodies (Coombs' reagent). 1945 – Coombs test a.k.a. antiglobulin test (AGT)
Bacitracin 1945 · achieved
Mixture of related cyclic peptides. 1945 – Bacitracin
Influenza vaccine 1945 · achieved
First licensed in the US in 1945.
Water fluoridation 1945 · achieved
Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Allotransplantation 1944 · achieved
Transplantation between individuals of the same species. 1944 – hypothesis of allograft rejection
Avery–MacLeod–McCarty experiment 1944 · achieved
1944 experiment by O. Avery, C. MacLeod and M. McCarty that DNA is the substance that causes bacterial transformation. 1944: The Avery–MacLeod–McCarty experiment isolates DNA as the genetic material (at that time called transforming principle ).
Luria-Delbrück experiment 1943 · achieved
Experiment showing that in bacteria, genetic mutations arise in the absence of selection, rather than being a response to selection.. 1943: Luria–Delbrück experiment: this experiment showed that genetic mutations conferring resistance to bacteriophage arise in the absence of selection, rather than being a response to selection.
Kidney dialysis (Kolff) 1943 · achieved
A rotating-drum dialyzer in the occupied Netherlands.
Pap smear 1943 · achieved
Papanicolaou's cervical cytology screening.
Streptomycin 1943 · achieved
Schatz and Waksman: the first TB antibiotic.
Deep-tank penicillin fermentation 1943 · achieved
US/UK wartime scale-up (Pfizer, Peoria lab) took doses from grams to billions by D-Day.
Epigenetics 1942 · achieved
Study of changes in gene expression or cellular phenotype. 1669: Jan Swammerdam: epigenesis in insects.
First chemotherapy (nitrogen mustard) 1942 · achieved
Yale trial of a mustard-gas derivative for lymphoma.
Tick-borne encephalitis vaccine 1941 · achieved
Preventive medicine. 1941 – First vaccine for tick-borne encephalitis
Rh blood group system 1940 · achieved
Human blood group system. 1940 – Identification of the Rh antigens ( Karl Landsteiner and Alexander Weiner )
Pesticide 1939 · achieved
Substance used to destroy pests. Sri Lanka announces that it will lift its import ban on pesticides and herbicides, explained by both a lack of sudden changes to widely applied practices or education systems and contemporary economics and, by extension, food security, p…
DDT insecticide 1939 · achieved
Müller found DDT's insecticidal action; it drove malaria eradication campaigns.
Electroconvulsive therapy 1938 · achieved
Medical procedure. 1917 – Julius Wagner-Jauregg discovers the malarial fever shock therapy for general paresis of the insane
Blood bank 1937 · achieved
Fantus, Cook County Hospital, Chicago.
Yellow fever 17D vaccine 1937 · achieved
Max Theiler.
Lobotomy 1936 · achieved
Discontinued neurosurgical operation. 1936 – Egas Moniz discovers prefrontal lobotomy for treating mental diseases; Enrique Finochietto develops the now ubiquitous self-retaining thoracic retractor
Sulfonamides (Prontosil) 1935 · achieved
Domagk at Bayer: the first broad antibacterial.
Lysenkoism 1935 · achieved
Political rejection of genetics in the USSR, 1930s–1964.
Calorie restriction 1934 · achieved
Dietary regime. 1934: Clive McCay: Calorie restriction extends the maximum lifespan of another species
Insulin shock therapy 1933 · achieved
Psychiatric treatment. 1933 – Manfred Sakel discovers insulin shock therapy
Tampon 1931 · achieved
Mass of absorbent material, primarily used as a feminine hygiene product. Tampon — The oldest printed medical document, Papyrus Ebers, refers to the use of soft papyrus tampons by Egyptian women in the fifteenth century B.C.
Gender-affirming surgery 1930 · achieved
Surgical procedures to alter sexual characteristics to match identified gender. 1930 – First successful sex reassignment surgery performed on Lili Elbe in Dresden, Germany.
Soviet collectivization 1929 · achieved
Forced collectivization, 1929–33; Holodomor famine.
Iron lung (Drinker) 1928 · achieved
A negative-pressure ventilator for polio.
Penicillin and antibiotics 1928 · achieved
Fleming 1928; mass production 1943.
Pertussis vaccine 1926 · achieved
Vaccine protecting against whooping cough. 1926 – First vaccine for pertussis (whooping cough) by Leila Denmark
Hybrid corn commercialized 1926 · achieved
Wallace founded Pioneer Hi-Bred in 1926; by the 1940s hybrids covered the US Corn Belt and yields multiplied.
Adjuvant 1925 · achieved
Agent that modifies or enhances the effect of other agents such as drugs or vaccines while having few if any direct effects when given by itself. 1925 – Adjuvants ( Gaston Ramon )
Quick-frozen food (Birdseye) 1925 · achieved
Clarence Birdseye's flash-freezing; retail sales from 1930.
Iodized salt 1924 · achieved
US launch; goiter and cretinism prevention.
Electroencephalography (Berger) 1924 · achieved
Recording of human brain waves.
Diphtheria vaccine 1923 · achieved
Vaccine against Corynebacterium diphtheriae, the bacterium that causes diphtheria. 1923 – First vaccine for diphtheria by Gaston Ramon, Emil von Behring and Kitasato Shibasaburō
Vitamin D 1921 · achieved
Group of molecules derived from delta-5,7 steroids used as vitamin; also, active metabolites of said vitamin. 1921 – Edward Mellanby discovers vitamin D and shows that its absence causes rickets
Insulin 1921 · achieved
Banting and Best, Toronto; first patient treated Jan 1922.
BCG tuberculosis vaccine 1921 · achieved
Calmette and Guérin.
Haptens 1917 · achieved
Small antigenic determinants capable of eliciting an immune response only when coupled to a carrier. 1917 – Hapten ( Karl Landsteiner )
Heparin 1916 · achieved
Discovered at Johns Hopkins; clinical use from 1935.
Genetic linkage 1913 · achieved
Tendency of DNA sequences that are close together on a chromosome to be inherited together. 1913: Alfred Sturtevant makes the first genetic map, showing that chromosomes contain linearly arranged genes.
Haber–Bosch ammonia 1913 · achieved
Synthetic nitrogen fertilizer feeds roughly half of humanity.
Vitamins identified 1912 · achieved
Funk coined "vitamine"; beriberi, scurvy and rickets explained.
Flexner Report 1910 · achieved
Standardized US medical schools; half closed.
Salvarsan (Ehrlich's magic bullet) 1910 · achieved
An arsenical cure for syphilis; the first synthetic chemotherapy.
Intrauterine device 1909 · achieved
T-shaped birth control device placed in the womb. 1909 – First intrauterine device described by Richard Richter.
Gene 1909 · achieved
Basic physical and functional unit of heredity. 1909: Wilhelm Johannsen introduced the term gene. He also coined the terms genotype and phenotype.
Stereotactic surgery 1908 · achieved
Medical procedure. 1908 – Victor Horsley and R. Clarke invents the stereotactic method
Water chlorination 1908 · achieved
Jersey City, 1908; typhoid collapsed.
Hybrid corn concept (Shull) 1908 · achieved
George Shull's pure-line hybrid maize experiments showed heterosis.
Shower 1907 · achieved
Place in which a person bathes under a spray of water. A curtain rod or traverse rod is a device used to suspend curtains, usually above windows or along the edges of showers, though also wherever curtains might be used. The flat, telescoping curtain rod was invented by Charles W.
Electrocardiogram (Einthoven) 1903 · achieved
String galvanometer ECG.
Anaphylaxis 1902 · achieved
Severe allergic reaction. 1902 – Immediate hypersensitivity anaphylaxis ( Paul Portier ) and ( Charles Richet )
Vascular suture (Carrel) 1902 · achieved
Blood-vessel anastomosis, the prerequisite for transplants.
Hormones discovered (secretin) 1902 · achieved
Bayliss and Starling.
Blood type 1901 · achieved
Classification of blood based on antibodies and antigens on red blood cell surfaces. 1901 – Karl Landsteiner discovers the existence of different human blood types
ABO blood groups (Landsteiner) 1901 · achieved
They made safe transfusion possible.
Antibody 1900 · achieved
Immune system protein that binds with an antigen. 1900 – Antibody formation theory ( Paul Ehrlich )
Yellow fever transmission (Finlay, Reed) 1900 · achieved
Finlay's mosquito hypothesis (Cuba, 1881), confirmed by Reed's commission.
Plague vaccine 1897 · achieved
Vaccine used against Yersinia pestis. 1897 – First vaccine for bubonic plague by Waldemar Haffkine
Surgical mask 1897 · achieved
Oro-nasal cover worn by health professionals to reduce spread of airborne pathogens.
Mosquito transmission of malaria (Ross) 1897 · achieved
Ronald Ross in Secunderabad, India.
Aspirin and synthetic drugs 1897 · achieved
Bayer, 1897.
Typhoid vaccine 1896 · achieved
Vaccines that prevent typhoid fever. 1896 – First vaccine for typhoid fever by Almroth Edward Wright, Richard Pfeiffer, and Wilhelm Kolle
Complement system 1896 · achieved
Part of the immune system that enhances (complements) the ability of antibodies and phagocytic cells to clear microbes and damaged cells from an organism, promotes inflammation, and attacks the pathogen's cell membrane. 1896 – An antibacterial, heat-labile serum component ( complement ) is described ( Jules Bordet )
Radiation therapy 1896 · achieved
X-rays used against cancer within months of discovery.
Sphygmomanometer (Riva-Rocci) 1896 · achieved
A practical cuff blood-pressure meter.
X-rays 1895 · achieved
Röntgen, 1895.
Tetanus vaccine 1890 · achieved
Vaccines used to prevent tetanus. 1890 – First vaccine for tetanus (serum antitoxin) by Emil von Behring
Surgical residency and gloves (Halsted) 1890 · achieved
Johns Hopkins.
Diphtheria antitoxin 1890 · achieved
Behring and Kitasato's serum therapy.
Neuron doctrine (Cajal) 1888 · achieved
Ramón y Cajal: the nervous system is made of discrete cells.
Popcorn 1885 · achieved
Variety of corn kernel which expands and puffs up on heating. A popcorn machine, also called a popcorn maker, is a device used to pop popcorn.
Pasteur rabies vaccine 1885 · achieved
Joseph Meister was treated in 1885.
Cholera vaccine 1884 · achieved
Vaccine that is effective at preventing cholera. 1884-1885 – First vaccine for cholera by Jaime Ferran y Clua
Local anesthesia (cocaine, Koller) 1884 · achieved
Topical anesthesia for eye surgery.
Koch identifies TB bacterium 1882 · achieved
Koch's postulates link microbe to disease.
Anthrax vaccine 1881 · achieved
Vaccine. 1881 - First vaccine for anthrax by Louis Pasteur
Rebreather 1878 · achieved
Apparatus to recycle breathing gas. 1878: Henry Fleuss is granted a patent for the first practical rebreather.
Grain silo 1873 · achieved
Commodity cargo transported unpackaged in large quantities. A silo is a structure for storing bulk materials. Silos are used in agriculture to store grain, see grain elevators, or fermented feed known as silage.
Clinical thermometer (Allbutt) 1867 · achieved
A short, quick-reading thermometer.
Antiseptic surgery (Lister) 1867 · achieved
Carbolic acid antisepsis cut surgical mortality.
Mendelian inheritance 1866 · achieved
Pea experiments; rediscovered in 1900.
Mendelian genetics 1866 · achieved
Mendel, 1866; rediscovered 1900.
Homeostasis / experimental medicine (Bernard) 1865 · achieved
Claude Bernard's milieu intérieur.
Sanitation and sewers 1865 · achieved
London sewers (Bazalgette), 1865.
Pasteurization 1864 · achieved
Heating to kill microbes in wine, later milk.
Snellen chart 1861 · achieved
Eye chart used to measure visual acuity. 1861 – Snellen chart developed by Herman Snellen.
Germ theory 1861 · achieved
Pasteur 1860s, Koch's postulates 1890.
Modern nursing (Nightingale) 1860 · achieved
The Nightingale Training School; statistical hospital reform.
Theory of evolution 1859 · achieved
Darwin's On the Origin of Species, 1859.
Cellular pathology (Virchow) 1858 · achieved
Disease as cellular change.
Phenotypic trait 1856 · achieved
Specific feature of an organism. 1856–1863: Mendel studied the inheritance of traits between generations based on experiments involving garden pea plants. He deduced that there is a certain tangible essence that is passed on between generations from both parents.
Snow's Broad Street cholera map 1854 · achieved
John Snow traced cholera to a water pump.
Hypodermic needle 1853 · achieved
Device to inject substances into the circulatory system or extract fluids from the body. 1844: Francis Rynd invents the hypodermic needle.
Hypodermic syringe 1853 · achieved
Wood and Pravaz.
Flush toilet 1851 · achieved
Toilet that disposes of human excreta by using water to flush it. 1851: George Jennings offers the first public flush toilets, accessible for a penny per visit, and in 1852 receives a UK patent for the single piece, free standing, earthenware, trap plumed, flushing, water-closet.
Ophthalmoscope (Helmholtz) 1851 · achieved
Seeing the retina.
Chewing gum 1848 · achieved
Soft, cohesive substance intended for chewing but not swallowing. Researchers report the development of chewing gums that could mitigate COVID-19 spread. The ingredients – CTB - ACE2 proteins grown via plants – bind to the virus.
Chloroform anesthesia 1847 · achieved
James Young Simpson, Edinburgh.
Semmelweis handwashing 1847 · achieved
Chlorine handwashing cut maternal deaths in Vienna; it was rejected by peers.
Anesthesia 1846 · achieved
Ether demonstrated in Boston, 1846.
Nitrous oxide 1844 · achieved
Chemical compound. 1774 – Joseph Priestley discovers nitrous oxide, nitric oxide, ammonia, hydrogen chloride and oxygen
Root canal treatment 1838 · achieved
Dental procedure. 2014 - Sonendo, a medical technology company based in Laguna Hills, California, introduces the GentleWave system in the United States for root canal treatments.
Numerical method (Louis): bloodletting debunked 1835 · achieved
Counting outcomes showed bloodletting failed.
Quinine isolated 1820 · achieved
Pelletier and Caventou purified the antimalarial alkaloid.
Blood transfusion 1818 · achieved
Generally the process of receiving blood or blood products into one's circulation intravenously. 1818 – James Blundell performs the first successful human transfusion.
Stethoscope 1816 · achieved
Laennec, Paris.
Spontaneous remission 1813 · achieved
Diminution or abatement of a disease over time, without formal treatment. 1813 – Vautier reports spontaneous remission of cancer after gangrene infection (later to be known as Clostridium perfringens )
Canning 1809 · achieved
Method of preserving food. 1809 – French confectioner Nicolas Appert invents canning
General anaesthetic 1804 · achieved
Agent that induces a degree of analgesia. 1804: Hanaoka Seishū creates tsūsensan, the first modern general anesthetic.
General anesthesia (Hanaoka Seishū) 1804 · achieved
Tsūsensan herbal anesthesia for a mastectomy.
Morphine isolated 1804 · achieved
Sertürner isolated the first alkaloid from opium.
Anesthetic 1799 · achieved
Drug that causes anesthesia. 1799 – Humphry Davy discovers the anesthetic properties of nitrous oxide
Extinction 1796 · achieved
Termination of a taxon by the death of its last member. 1796: Georges Cuvier: Establishes extinction as a fact.
Smallpox vaccination 1796 · achieved
Jenner, 1796.
Bioelectricity 1791 · achieved
Regulation of cell, tissue, and organ-level patterning and behavior as the result of endogenous electrically-mediated signaling..
Bloodletting 1790 · achieved
Therapy, now rarely used in medicine. 1790 – Samuel Hahnemann rages against the prevalent practice of bloodletting as a universal cure and founds homeopathy
Threshing machine 1786 · achieved
Agricultural machine. 1786: Andrew Meikle invents the threshing machine
Digitalis (Withering) 1785 · achieved
Foxglove for heart failure, from systematic case series.
Artificial insemination 1784 · achieved
Spallanzani's first successful artificial insemination, in a dog (1784).
Scientific surgery (John Hunter) 1771 · achieved
Experimental surgical science.
Percussion diagnosis (Auenbrugger) 1761 · achieved
Tapping the chest to find fluid.
Pathological anatomy (Morgagni) 1761 · achieved
Linked autopsy findings to symptoms.
Bakewell's selective breeding 1760 · achieved
Robert Bakewell's systematic inbreeding and progeny selection of sheep and cattle (Dishley, England).
Otoplasty 1750~ · achieved
Surgery to correct the deformities and defects of the pinna. Otoplasty – Ear surgery was developed in ancient India and is described in the medical compendium, the Sushruta Samhita (Sushruta's Compendium, c. 500 AD ).
Indian club 1750~ · achieved
Type of exercise equipment. Indian clubs: The Indian club—which appeared in Europe during the 18th century—was used long by India's native soldiery before its introduction to Europe.
Lind's scurvy trial 1747 · achieved
Controlled comparison of six treatments; citrus cured scurvy.
Appendectomy 1736 · achieved
Surgical removal of the vermiform appendix. 1736 – Claudius Aymand performs the first successful appendectomy
Seed drill and agricultural revolution 1701 · achieved
Jethro Tull, 1701; enclosure and crop rotation.
British Agricultural Revolution 1700 · achieved
Increase in agricultural production in Britain in mid-17th and late 19th centuries. 1700 – British Agricultural Revolution ends
Clinical observation (Sydenham) 1676 · achieved
"The English Hippocrates": disease classification.
Microorganism 1675 · achieved
Microscopic living organism. 1675: Anton van Leeuwenhoek: observes microorganisms using a refined simple microscope.
Microscope 1665 · achieved
Hooke's Micrographia (1665); Leeuwenhoek sees microbes (1676).
Bills of mortality statistics (Graunt) 1662 · achieved
The first life table and demographic statistics.
Capillaries (Malpighi) 1661 · achieved
Microscopic proof that closes Harvey's circuit.
Wheelchair 1655 · achieved
Chair with wheels, used by people for whom walking is difficult or impossible due to illness, injury, or disability. 1655 - Stephan Farffler was a Nuremberg watchmaker of the seventeenth century whose invention of a manumotive carriage in 1655 is widely considered to have been the first self-propelled wheelchair.
Sugarcane mill 1650~ · achieved
Factory that processes sugar cane to produce raw or white sugar. Roller sugar mill – Geared sugar rolling mills first appeared in Mughal India, using the principle of rollers as well as worm gearing, by the 17th century.
Cinchona bark against malaria 1631~ · achieved
Andean bark brought to Europe by Jesuits, c. 1630s.
Circulation of the blood (Harvey) 1628 · achieved
De Motu Cordis: the heart pumps blood in a closed circuit.
Bencao Gangmu 1578 · achieved
Li Shizhen's materia medica: about 1,900 drugs.
Traditional pharmacopoeia (Bencao) 1578 · achieved
Li Shizhen's Compendium of Materia Medica, 1578.
Tropical medicine 1563 · achieved
Medical specialty. 1563 – Garcia de Orta founds tropical medicine with his treatise on Indian diseases and treatments
Inoculation 1549 · achieved
Artificial introduction of infection to cells, tissue, or an organism. 1549 – The earliest account of inoculation of smallpox ( variolation ) occurs in Wan Quan 's (1499–1582) Douzhen Xinfa (痘疹心法)
Variolation 1549 · achieved
Smallpox inoculation in China by the 16th century; it preceded Jenner.
Ambroise Paré, ligature over cautery 1545 · achieved
Battlefield surgery reform.
De humani corporis fabrica (Vesalius) 1543 · achieved
Corrected Galen through dissection.
Vesalian anatomy 1543 · achieved
De humani corporis fabrica, 1543.
Paracelsus, iatrochemistry 1530~ · achieved
"The dose makes the poison."
Columbian exchange 1493 · achieved
Maize, potatoes, and others crossed oceans, along with the diseases that devastated the Americas.
Moray agricultural terraces 1450 · achieved
Concentric Inca terraces with microclimates, possibly used for crop trials.
Quarantine 1377 · achieved
Ragusa (Dubrovnik) isolated arrivals for 30 days during the Black Death.
Winnowing 1313 · achieved
Method of separating grain from chaff. Winnowing machine, rotary fan: Contemporary to the rotary air conditioning fan invented by Han dynasty mechanical engineer Ding Huan (fl.
Eyeglasses 1286 · achieved
Invented near Pisa, ~1286.
Pulmonary circulation (Ibn al-Nafis) 1242 · achieved
He described blood passing through the lungs, correcting Galen.
Sugar refinery 1150~ · achieved
Agrifood craftwork or factory, which processes sugar beet, cane or natural sweetened sirups, in order to produce raw sugar, or to refine it into white sugar or ethanol. Sugar refinery — Date back to the 12th century in Medieval Egypt.
Chinampas 1150 · achieved
Aztec floating-garden agriculture.
Schola Medica Salernitana 1050~ · achieved
The first medieval medical school, translating Arabic medicine into Latin.
The Canon of Medicine (Avicenna) 1025 · achieved
Ibn Sina's medical encyclopedia, a standard text for six centuries.
Al-Zahrawi surgical instruments 1000 · achieved
Kitab al-Tasrif described hundreds of surgical instruments.
Al-Razi clinical medicine 900 · achieved
Distinguished smallpox from measles; clinical observation.
Heavy plow and three-field rotation 900 · achieved
Medieval European agricultural revolution.
De gradibus 850 · achieved
Book by Al-Kindi. c. 800 – 873 – Al-Kindi (Alkindus) De Gradibus
Coffee (Ethiopian origin) 850 · achieved
Coffea arabica from Ethiopia, later traded through Yemen.
Bimaristan (hospital) 805 · achieved
Islamic-world hospitals with wards, e.g., Baghdad ~805.
Dental amalgam 659 · achieved
Material used in dentistry for direct restorative procedures in the tooth. Dental amalgam: Dental amalgam were used in the first part of the Tang dynasty (618–907 A.D.).
Toilet paper 589 · achieved
Tissue paper for cleaning after urination or defecation. 589: Toilet paper in Sui dynasty China, first mentioned by the official Yan Zhitui (531–591), with full evidence of continual use in subsequent dynasties.
Academy of Gondishapur 531 · achieved
Sasanian center of medicine and learning.
Horse collar 500 · achieved
The collar harness let horses pull heavy loads.
Fishing reel 350~ · achieved
Device attached to a fishing rod used in winding and unwinding fishing line. 4th century: Fishing reel in Ancient China: In literary records, the earliest evidence of the fishing reel comes from a 4th-century AD work entitled Lives of Famous Immortals.
Galenic medicine 170~ · achieved
Galen's experimental physiology; his errors became dogma until Vesalius.
De materia medica (Dioscorides) 60 · achieved
A pharmacopeia of about 600 plants, used for 1,500 years.
Charaka Samhita 100 BCE~ · achieved
A core Ayurvedic text on internal medicine.
Acupuncture 100 BCE · achieved
Traditional Chinese practice; efficacy beyond placebo is contested.
Clinic 200 BCE · achieved
Health care facility, primarily focused on the care of outpatients. 200 BC – the Charaka Samhita uses a rational approach to the causes and cure of disease and uses objective methods of clinical examination
Traditional Chinese medicine 200 BCE · achieved
Alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. c. 400 BC – 1 BC – The Huangdi Neijing ( Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine ) is published, laying the framework for traditional Chinese medicine
Huangdi Neijing 200 BCE~ · achieved
The foundational text of Chinese medicine (Warring States to Han).
Chuño freeze-drying 200 BCE · achieved
Potatoes freeze-dried by Andean frost and sun for long storage.
Tea cultivation 200 BCE · achieved
Tea drinking spread across Han China.
Brain anatomy (Erasistratus) 250 BCE · achieved
Main organ of the human nervous system. 250 BC – Erasistratus studies the brain and distinguishes between the cerebrum and cerebellum physiology of the brain, heart and eyes, and in the vascular, nervous, respiratory and reproductive systems
Empiric school of medicine 250 BCE~ · achieved
Theory that states that knowledge comes only or primarily from sensory experience. 3rd century BC – Philinus of Cos founder of the Empiricist school. Herophilos and Erasistratus practice androtomy. (Dissecting live and dead human beings)
Herophilus' human dissection 300 BCE~ · achieved
Systematic human dissection in Alexandria: nerves, brain, pulse.
Waru waru raised fields 300 BCE · achieved
Raised-bed fields near Lake Titicaca that buffer frost.
Cesarean section 320 BCE · achieved
Surgical procedure in which a baby is delivered through a parent’s abdomen. Perform Caesarean section.
Four temperaments 400 BCE · achieved
Ancient Greek and Roman system of medicine involving four fluid types. 1858 – Rudolf Carl Virchow 13 October 1821 – 5 September 1902 his theories of cellular pathology spelled the end of Humoral medicine.
Hippocratic medicine 400 BCE~ · achieved
The Hippocratic Corpus: disease has natural causes; prognosis from observation.
Sushruta Samhita surgery 600 BCE~ · achieved
Ancient Indian surgical text including rhinoplasty (date debated).
Qanat 800 BCE~ · achieved
Persian underground aqueduct system, early 1st millennium BC.
Andean terrace farming 1,000 BCE~ · achieved
Mountain terracing, perfected by the Inca.
Surgical suture 1,100 BCE~ · achieved
Medical device used to hold issues together after a break up. Surgical suture — The earliest reports of surgical suture date to 3000 BC in ancient Egypt, and the oldest known suture is in a mummy from 1100 BC.
Chester Beatty Medical Papyrus 1,200 BCE~ · achieved
Medical papyri from ancient Egypt. Colorectal surgery — The Chester Beatty Medical Papyrus, is one of the extant medical papyri, from ancient Egypt. It is dedicated to magical incantations against headaches and remedies for anorectal ailments, and is dated around 1200 BC.
Brugsch Papyrus 1,300 BCE~ · achieved
Ancient Egyptian medical papyrus. 1300 BC – Brugsch Papyrus and London Medical Papyrus
Saffron 1,500 BCE~ · achieved
Spice derived from the flower of Crocus sativus. 1500 BC – Saffron used as a medicine on the Aegean island of Thera in ancient Greece
Seed drill 1,500 BCE~ · achieved
Agricultural tool. 1500 BC: Seed drill in Babylonia.
African rice domestication 1,500 BCE~ · achieved
Oryza glaberrima, domesticated in the inner Niger delta.
Nixtamalization 1,500 BCE~ · achieved
Alkali-treated maize unlocks niacin.
Birth control 1,550 BCE~ · achieved
Method of preventing human pregnancy or birth.
Ebers Papyrus 1,550 BCE~ · achieved
About 700 remedies, one of the oldest medical texts.
Hearst papyrus 1,600 BCE~ · achieved
Manuscript. 1600 BC – Hearst papyrus, coprotherapy and magic
Edwin Smith Papyrus 1,600 BCE~ · achieved
The oldest known surgical treatise: 48 cases with empirical prognosis.
Edwin Smith surgical papyrus 1,600 BCE~ · achieved
Ancient Egyptian surgical treatise, ~1600 BC copy of older texts.
Kahun Gynaecological Papyrus 1,800 BCE~ · achieved
Ancient Egyptian medical text. 1800 BC – Kahun Gynecological Papyrus
Cacao domestication 1,900 BCE~ · achieved
Cacao drinks residues at Paso de la Amada, c. 1900 BC; the beans later served as currency.
Noodle 2,000 BCE~ · achieved
Type of staple food made from some type of unleavened dough. 2000 BC: Noodle in Lajia in China
Shadoof 2,000 BCE~ · achieved
Lever-based water-lifting device of Mesopotamia and Egypt.
Frying 2,500 BCE~ · achieved
Cooking of food in oil or another fat. Frying — Frying is believed to have first appeared in the ancient Egyptian kitchen, during the Old Kingdom, around 2500 BCE.
Ayurveda 3,000 BCE~ · achieved
Pseudoscientific alternative medicine originating from India. 3000 BC – The origins of Ayurveda traced back to around 3,000 BCE.
Rhinoplasty 3,000 BCE~ · achieved
Surgical procedure to enhance or reconstruct a human nose. 3000 BC – 2500 BC: Rhinoplasty in Egypt.
Sorghum domestication 3,000 BCE~ · achieved
Domesticated in the eastern Sahel; a staple across Africa and India.
Latrine 3,200 BCE~ · achieved
Toilet or an even simpler facility which is used as a toilet within a sanitation system. 3200 BC: Dry Latrines in the city of Uruk, Iraq, with later dry squat Toilets, that added raised fired brick foot platforms, and pedestal toilets, all over clay pipe constructed drains.
Domestication of the horse 3,500 BCE~ · achieved
Process of domesticating equines. 3500 BC: Probable first domestication of the horse in the Eurasian Steppes.
Llama and alpaca domestication 4,000 BCE~ · achieved
Andean camelid domestication.
Plow 4,000 BCE~ · achieved
Ard plows pulled by oxen.
Trepanation 5,000 BCE~ · achieved
Neolithic skull drilling with signs of healing, e.g. Ensisheim, c. 5000 BC.
Cotton cultivation 5,000 BCE~ · achieved
Cotton cultivated in the Indus region, ~5000 BC.
Potato domestication 6,000 BCE~ · achieved
Domesticated in the Andes, ~8000–5000 BC.
Irrigation 6,000 BCE~ · achieved
Canal irrigation in Mesopotamia, ~6000 BC.
Fermentation (beer, wine, leavening) 7,000 BCE~ · achieved
Residues in pottery jars at Jiahu, China (c. 7000 BC) show a fermented rice, honey and fruit drink; Georgian jars hold grape wine by c. 6000 BC. Beer residues at Raqefet Cave, Israel, have been claimed for c. 11,000 BC.
Maize domestication 7,000 BCE~ · achieved
Domesticated from teosinte in southern Mexico, ~9,000 years ago.
Rice domestication 7,000 BCE~ · achieved
Rice domesticated in the Yangtze valley.
Pre-Pottery Neolithic B 7,500 BCE~ · achieved
Archaeological culture. 7500 BC – PPNB sites across the Fertile Crescent growing wheat, barley, chickpeas, peas, beans, flax and bitter vetch. Sheep and goat domesticated.
Millet domestication 8,000 BCE~ · achieved
Foxtail and broomcorn millet in northern China.
Neolithic revolution 8,500 BCE~ · achieved
Transition from hunter gatherer to settled peoples. 8,500 BC – Neolithic Revolution in the ancient Near East
Livestock domestication 8,500 BCE~ · achieved
Goats, sheep, cattle, and pigs domesticated ~8500–7000 BC.
Agriculture 9,500 BCE~ · achieved
Cereal cultivation in the Fertile Crescent ~9500 BC; independent origins elsewhere.
Bread 12,400 BCE~ · achieved
Baked food made of flour, water and other ingredients. 14.5 kya: Bread in Jordan
Domestication of the dog 15,000 BCE~ · achieved
Dogs domesticated from wolves by ~15 kya, possibly earlier.
Fishing hook 20,000 BCE~ · achieved
Device for catching fish. 22 kya: Fish hook in Okinawa Island, modern day Japan.
Origin of the domestic dog 21,000 BCE~ · achieved
Process which created the domestic dog. 23 kya: Domestication of the dog in Siberia.
Amputation 29,000 BCE~ · achieved
Removal of a body extremity by trauma, prolonged constriction, or surgery. 31 kya: Amputation and surgery. Medicine in a meaningful sense likely predates the human-chimpanzee split, as, for example, herbal medicine has been observed in other primates.
Katanda bone harpoons 90,000 BCE~ · achieved
Barbed bone points from the Congo, perhaps 90,000 years old.
Food storage 400,000 BCE~ · achieved
Type of storage that allows food to be eaten after time. 420 – 200 kya: Food storage in the form of uncracked bones saved for their marrow in Qesem cave, Israel.
Cooking 780,000 BCE~ · achieved
Cooked food released more calories and may have fueled bigger brains.