How did they discover that?

It is mind-boggling (and fun) to me to contemplate the progress humankind has made since we first stood upright and wandered from cave to cave. Discovery had to be a constant necessity to survive. Trial and error ruled the day.

For example, realizing we needed to eat to stay alive, we learned to hunt and get very creative in finding food. It must have been downright scary to the first humans to discover what was and what wasn’t food.

Some was beneficial and necessary and other stuff would kill you. High stakes.

For example, one of our early ancestors sees a pretty plant. He thinks it might be parsnip, parsley or carrots. Very tasty. However, it turns out to be hemlock. Ask Socrates how tasty hemlock can be.

Who discovered that you could harvest trees and use the wood to build a house and move out of the cave?

I wonder who was first to discover wheat? Lots of potential here. Breakfast cereals for sure. Cattle feed.

And shake the stuff and you can take the little berries and eventually turn them into nutritious and yummy baked goods. Who knew?

Cotton is another great discovery. It could be rather chilly to be naked outside the cave. So, you killed another species and took his coat as your own. Then cotton and other fibers, it was discovered, could be woven into clothing.

And, you could make it different colors and designs to be fashionable. Very clever.

Here’s one that Michiganders can especially appreciate; iron ore (and copper). Who first looked down at the rock he was standing on and thought, “Hey, we could dig this stuff up, melt it down (assuming we had discovered fire by then) and mold it into metal to make tools, cars and other cool things.” Imagine what our great state would have been like without its lumber and manufacturing industries.

One of the other things that has always impressed me is how we have figured out how to use almost the entire resource.

All parts of the wheat plant are used. We leave very little waste behind. We’ve even figured out how to use some of the waste.

Yes, I’m being rather “tongue-in-cheek” here. But the point is that men and women from all over the world have been discovering new things and creating new things that make life better for all of us since the beginning.

It continues today and will for as long as humans inhabit the planet (if they don’t destroy it first).

One of the things I hope AI can do for us is help in the discovery of new things to benefit mankind. I fear that AI may become an all-knowing entity itself, dictating to us what the future will look like.

I hope that your kids, their kids and all future generations will get a good education and continue to innovate. The future is there to discover. Enjoy it!

Contact Rick at dave@tri-citytimes.com