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Culture, history and society

Culture, history and society

Exercising caution in the face of techno-optimism

07 Feb 2024

Achintya Rao reviews Invention and Innovation: a Brief History of Hype and Failure by Vaclav Smil

old gas pump on the prairie
From promising to problematic Lead was introduced into fuel to solve the problem of “knocking” in early automobiles, but the poisonous metal proved to be the wrong choice. (Courtesy: iStock/ImagineGolf)
There is a propensity in popular tech media – particularly coming out of Silicon Valley – to sug

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Achintya Rao is a science communicator based in Bristol, UK
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