Name: Unintended consequences
Uploaded: 2011-09-06T14:37:23Z
Duration: 15 min 53 s
Description: Every new invention changes the world -- in ways both intentional and unexpected. Historian Edward Tenner tells stories that illustrate the under-appreciated gap between our ability to innovate and our ability to foresee the consequences.

Every new invention changes the world -- in ways both intentional and unexpected. Historian Edward Tenner tells stories that illustrate the under-appreciated gap between our ability to innovate and our ability to foresee the consequences.

Edward Tenner: Unintended consequences

Unintended consequences

Chopsticks led to dental changes in Japan, showing even small shifts in human behavior can have long-term biological impacts.

Penicillin's WWII scale-up, from flasks to vats, epitomizes how crises spur innovation, turning calamities into medical milestones.

Unintended consequences shape history: from agriculture's rise increasing inequality to tech innovations sparking unforeseen effects.