Let’s face it, science has produced some extremely cool things. Technology is advancing at an increasingly rapid pace, and there is quite literally no stopping scientists now when it comes to innovation; the sky’s the limit.
Recently, university researchers have began working on a new super-interesting project: night-vision contact lenses. They haven’t managed to obtain a working model yet, but they have begun manipulating the material, graphene, that will eventually form the base of the contact lens that will be capable of seeing infrared images clearly, thereby potentially allowing a person to see in the dark. This kind of invention would be revolutionary, as it would benefit many different professionals who are forced to work at night in dark conditions, such as search and rescue teams, soldiers, and emergency-response teams. They have no choice but to work outside in the dark, so having the ability to see properly would greatly facilitate their job. Night-vision contact lenses, or even night-vision cell phones, would be an amazing invention. The ultimate goal would be to eventually create Terminator-like robot vision for all human beings.
Research like this, however incredible it may seem, still leaves me a bit disappointed in our very materialistic world. Yes, we could indeed benefit from this astonishing technology, but is there not more important things for scientists to be devoting their time to? There are some research fields that desperately need intelligent, innovative, and hard-working thinkers and doers in order to save lives. For example, over half a million people die from cancer every year in the United States alone, mainly because research has not quite come up with a cure to this awful disease. Cancer research is in need of scientists and researchers to help save millions of lives every year, which strikes me as a bit more important than figuring out a way for humans to see in the dark. Yet another life-saving place for scientists to devote time and energy to is ending world hunger, either by coming up with genetically modified crops to grow in all climates or by physically going to third world countries and engineering ways to provide clean water to towns and cities. When you think of it this way, night-vision contact lenses are not quite so important.
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