A look back...

The study of electricity lead by Faraday (from the discovery of discharge of electricity in cathode tubes to how magnets and electricity are related) to "Volta's electronic pile of 1800" and, eventually, the applications of the battery and controllable electronic current. Zeeman looked at the forced of nature and discovered that there was a rotation on a plane of polarized light produced in glass by a magnetic field. Experimentalist Lorentz looked at band splitting due to light emissions from charged particles (their motion influenced by a magnetic field) resulting in a change in frequency of the emitted light. This work lead to the first determination of the e/m (charge to mass ratio) of the electron itself. In the wake of such information, Maxwell began to explaine the importance of this imformation, which had since been directly applied to theoretical and even commercial uses, such as electroplating and other manifestations of electromagnetism. Moving further along, and into a different area of physics, Roentgen was the first to find x-rays (ionizing gases), JJ Thompson showed these rays were negatively charged and corpuscles (electrons), measuring the mass and charge separately. Millikan's oil drop experiment lead to an even more precise charge and mass of the electron. Further work on electrons lead to work on bound electrons and, eventually spectrometric techniques such as the mass spectrometer (which I use in my research work in the biochemistry department).

And the list goes on. Breaking Maxwell's theories was Onne's experimental data, which proved superconductivity before it was so named but not explained until quantum mechanics. From the study of thermodynamics and the black body theory, Plank discovered one of the universal constants of nature. Taking Plank as a starting point along with DeBrogli's equations, Schrodinger devised his now famous theory, which overcame the difficulties of Einstine's theory of relativity. Working off of Schrodinger are people like Feynman, who proposed the theory of quantum electrodynamics (QED) which tries to unify quantum mechanics, Maxwell's equations, and relativity.

This trend of advancing theories can even be seen outside of physics. Pasteur, looking into the first theories of microbiology, lead to the development of pasteurizing, while Hook used his compound microscope to characterize the cell. X-ray crystallography utilizes the property that x-rays have the same order of magnitude as the spacing between the nucleus of atoms in crystals of molecules, giving specific diffraction patterns that can be used for structure identification, such as that used by Watson and Crick to determine the structure of DNA. They also explained Mendel's phenomena of inheritance by using this structure to postulate how genes are inherited. It took Watson and Crick to understand that these genes were inherited by DNA> From this, modern molecular viology came into being.

Yet, why should we wait for any development in TOE? Why could we even feasibly expect any significant changes/developments/ideas to emmerge? I believe that science will continue on it's historical path using bstarct or obsure theories to expound on the world. These theories lead to a level of understanding not previously held, and his understanding has lead to practial applications.

I believe that is this the legacy of scientific pursuit. It is by its very nature that science advances. The universe is not static, and by its study of it, neigther is science. Once the question is posed, science has an interest in answering it. That is the philosophy of science. Once the pursuit is underway, then the technology of science asks yet another question, This is the two faces of science, blending, creating scientific thought and advancement, as it has since the begining of science.