Over sixty years ago, three inventions that would revolutionize our lives were made. In 1958, scientists at Texas Instruments and Fairchild Semiconductors built the first integrated circuit that would become the precursor of silicon chips, used in virtually every modern-day computer. At Cambridge, meanwhile, James Watson and Francis Crick discovered the structure of the DNA double helix, unlocking the mechanism of heredity and opening exciting prospects in molecular biology, genomics, and synthetic biology. Finally, the 1950s saw the launch of Sputnik, revolutionizing fields like physics and computer sciences, offering us a new perspective on our planet, and providing a chance to possibly reach others in our solar system.
