ununtrium, ununpentium, ununseptium and ununoctium
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“There is not a discovery in science, however revolutionary, however sparkling with insight, that does not arise out of what went before.
‘If I have seen further than other men,’ said Isaac Newton, ‘it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants.”
―
Isaac Asimov
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Ok.
More often than not we talk about the important new ideas and discoveries as “disruption” or “innovative.”
The implication is that this type of important idea, which supposedly will change the world <but, more often than not, is just a nice idea which will make an impact in its own little universe … assuming it doesn’t die a quick death>, is the only type of idea we should pay attention to.
In other words … the implication is … If it’s not disruptive its crap.
Well.
That’s bullshit.
Many, if not most, of the most foundational ‘innovative’ ideas & discoveries the world has ever seen tend to be the most overlooked, unseen to the naked eye, unobtrusive ‘disruptors’ we have ever interacted with.
And I can even point out some examples why it is bullshit.
ununtrium ununpentium ununseptium and ununoctium
These are elements.
Yeah.
New elements which will now be placed in to that amazing thing called “The periodic Table of Elements.” <here is a link to The Los Alamos National Library interactive elements Table.
“IUPAC has now initiated the process of formalizing names and symbols for these elements temporarily named as ununtrium, (Uut or element 113), ununpentium (Uup, element 115), ununseptium (Uus, element 117), and ununoctium (Uuo, element 118).”
New elements can be named after a mythological concept, a mineral, a place or country, a property or a scientist.
The four new elements, all of which are man-made, were discovered by slamming lighter nuclei into each other and tracking the following decay of the radioactive superheavy elements.
ABOUT THE PERIODIC TABLE
Dmitri Mendeleev published in 1869 the first widely recognized periodic table. He developed his table to illustrate periodic trends in the properties of the then-known elements. Mendeleev also predicted some properties of then-unknown elements that would be expected to fill gaps in this table. Most of his predictions were proved correct when the elements in question were subsequently discovered. Mendeleev’s periodic table has since been expanded and refined with the discovery or synthesis of further new elements and the development of new theoretical models to explain chemical behavior.
All elements from atomic numbers 1 (hydrogen) to 118 (ununoctium) have been discovered or synthesized, with the most recent additions (elements 113, 115, 117, and 118) being confirmed by the IUPAC on December 30, 2015.[1]
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Look.
This particular element discovery may seem fairly dry or insignificant but apparently they could be considered key discoveries which will ultimately enable future technology innovations.
Anyway.
In my mind … things like the elements are innovations which I like to call ‘portals to discovery.” They are the incredibly small discoveries which enable 
huge discoveries.
Just think about it.
Sure.
Maybe this discovery itself is not the most useful … maybe it’s not the most disruptive … nor the most innovative <in the traditional sense> and, yet, the smaller ‘whole’ inevitably leads to a larger more ‘life intrusive’ type improvement in our lives.
How do I view this?
As a nonscientist, non-chemist, non-whatever you need to be to actually use an element directly … I honestly could give a rat’s ass if someone has discovered some individual atoms which affects the overall relationship with other atoms it hangs out with.
But I do know … and I know this for sure as I can be sure … out of the process to identify a unique atom … and maybe even now that someone understands the properties of this atom … someone somewhere will have a light bulb go off in their heads and trundle out of the house with some new idea the rest of us haven’t thought of yet.
Yet.
As I type this … even though I most likely knew every element on the periodic table when I was in grade school … I doubt I could name … well … I would guess I could name maybe 75% of the elements <by looking at their signs>.
I would also guess anyone reading this had no frickin’ clue what this crazy enlightened conflict site post today was going to be about when “ununtrium ununpentium ununseptium and ununoctium” popped up.
I would also guess that this is most likely the first time 99% of my readers have thought about an element in decades.
That seems kind of crazy when you really think about it.
Most likely some of the most important things which make up how we live, eat and breathe … and live our lives … and the majority of us don’t know diddleyshit about them.
Why?
I would guess it is because they are too little. I would imagine we view them as too insignificant compared to more seemingly significant glamorized ideas and ‘innovations.’
Why do I guess this?
Most likely because … well … if you go online you will find over 3.2 million articles <in less than one second> on finding joy in the little discoveries in Life.
And while I didn’t read each and every one of them … the ones I did sample didn’t say shit about real discovery.
They were all about paying attention to the little things in Life around you.
Well.
WTF.
If there are over 3.2 million articles on that shit why aren’t they mentioning taking a moment and paying attention to the truly meaningful little things which have an inordinately big impact on everyone’s Life.
And by ‘big impact’ … maybe you should think about it this way … if today’s innovators have been successful … have seen farther than others before … it is because they have stood on the shoulders of giants … well … maybe stood on the shoulders of some element in the periodic table.
Regardless.
Take a moment in the near future.
Click on the link to The Los Alamos National Library interactive elements Table above.
Refresh your memory on the elements you learned about when you were young and maybe become acquainted with the ones which have been discovered since you learned the elements.
If you have a child? Maybe talk about the elements a little bit.
In a world where some seemingly meaningless shit reaches into the headlines on a daily basis … where flashy discovery is defined by new technology and some new widget … some real meaningful shit, like the elements, couldn’t make a headline even if they paid for it.
Give them a moment in your spotlight.
Remind yourself that almost everything that is meaningful in our daily lives stands on the shoulders of some element in the Periodic Table.
Ahhh, *science* – that majesterium that is so hallowed to the Left that they feel justified in lying about it incessantly. More money for *science*. More of YOUR money.
The cost of *discovering* these elements that disappear in a second is how many millions of dollars per molecule? And is there no better use for those scarce resources than adding a giddy new man-made molecule? No starving people the Left is always so concerned about (they say, as they leave for an eco-tour (sic) )?