Vegemite is an essential part of many Australians' breakfasts, but only theirs. Despite not having popularized this delicacy, many Aussies have contributed to the evolution of our lives in the areas of science, health and technology. Below are 10 inventions created by Australians that have transformed the way we live:
1- Black box
The black box was invented by Australian scientist David Warren, who lost his own father in an aircraft tragedy in 1934. It records travel data and is fundamental in the investigation of air accidents, helping to make airplanes the safest form of transportation in the world.
2- Electronic pacemaker
Australian doctor Mark Lidwill and physicist Edgar Booth developed the first artificial pacemaker in the 1920s. Now, more than three million people around the world rely on pacemakers to keep their hearts beating properly.
3- Google Maps
Danish brothers Lars and Jens Rasmussen developed the platform for Google Maps in Sydney in the early 2000s. Together with Australians Neil Gordon and Stephen Ma, they founded a small company called Where 2 Technologies in 2003. The following year, the startup was bought by Google, which also hired the four of them, and the technology was transformed into what we now know as Google Maps.
4- Medical application of penicillin
In 1939, Australian scientist Howard Florey purified penicillin from a special strain of mold. His team demonstrated penicillin's ability to fight bacterial infection in mice and later in humans. The antibiotic was mass-produced and used to help the victims of the Second World War. Penicillin has been used all over the world saving many lives by fighting infection by common bacteria.
5- Plastic money
The plastic banknotes were developed in a combined effort by the Reserve Bank of Australia and CSIRO, the federal scientific research agency, in the 1980s. The first banknote put into circulation was the US$ 10, launched in 1988 to celebrate the bicentenary. In 1996, Australia became the first country to have a complete set of plastic banknotes.
6- Bionic ear
Professor Graeme Clark invented the first bionic ear at the University of Melbourne in the 1970s - the first prototype was implanted in a person in 1978. Cochlear implants are devices that electronically stimulate the auditory nerve. Graeme's motivation to advance hearing loss technology was generated by his father's own need. So far, cochlear implants have brought hearing to more than 180,000 deaf and partially deaf people around the world.
7- Permaculture
Permaculture is a planning system for creating sustainable and productive human environments in balance and harmony with nature. The technique was created in 1972 by Bill Mollison, and today is an alternative to chemical-based agriculture that can be harmful to humans and the environment.
8- Wi-Fi
In 1992, John O'Sullivan, together with the CSIRO, developed Wi-Fi technology, used by more than a billion people around the world today. The core parts of the technology came out of research in the mid-1970s in the field of radio astronomy, when John and his colleagues were originally looking for the faint echoes of black holes.
As a result of this work, CSIRO has held patents for Wi-Fi technology since the mid-1990s, bringing the organization millions of dollars in royalties every year.
9- Ultrasound scanner
In 1976, Ausonics marketed the first ultrasound scanner. This discovery changed prenatal care forever, as it made it possible to see the baby without exposure to x-rays. Ultrasound technology is also used to diagnose medical problems in the breast, abdomen and reproductive organs.
10- Cancer vaccines
In 2006, Brisbane-based researchers Ian Frazer and Jian Zhou developed the world's first cancer vaccine. Known by the trade name Gardasil, the vaccine protects women against four strains of a virus called human papillomavirus, HPV. As cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women, vaccination has huge implications for the prevention of the disease. Since 2008, the vaccine has been approved for use in more than 120 countries.
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