April 27, 2018 #ChileDiverse

Discoveries and World Contributions Born in Chile

Despite being at the end of the world, Chile is a country where progress and technological advances have been gradually building a space within the industry. We want to highlight those inventions, discoveries or creations that have managed to be a contribution to knowledge about our world or the quality of life of people.

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Hepatitis B Vaccine
It was in 1986 when Chilean biochemist Pablo Valenzuela Pablo Valenzuela created this vaccine with the purpose of improving the option that existed up to that moment, which consisted of a vaccine created with antigens from patients infected with the virus. Valenzuela instead managed to create an efficient injection with recombinant DNA, a process consisting of proteins produced by genetically modified yeast cultures, thus creating an option that did not include the virus within the antidote itself.

Fog catcher
The collection of water droplets in the form of steam or dew is a centuries-old practice, but it was not until 1960 that physicist Carlos Espinosa obtained a patent that allowed him to install a panel near the city of Antofagasta. The purpose of this was to capture water particles from the camanchaca, to then produce water suitable for irrigation. Espinosa decided to donate his patent to UNESCO, with the purpose of being a contribution in countries where rainfall is scarce, to date about 17 countries have implemented this system.

Subdermal contraceptive
This contraceptive method consists of the implantation of a small rod with hormones that is placed in the woman's arm. It was first developed in 1967 by the American Sheldon Segal and the Chilean Horacio Croxatto. Horacio Croxattowho succeeded in creating this device that fulfills the purpose of releasing hormones in a slow and prolonged way, with a duration of at least three years.

Autopoiesis
More than an object or a product, it is a concept first proposed in 1973 by the Chilean biologists Humberto Maturana y Francisco Varela. This concept refers to a system that reproduces, creates and repairs its own elements; this being one of the main characteristics that separate living beings from those that are not.

Giant Planet
Chile is one of the most important countries for astronomy, with one of the clearest skies in the world and with observatories and telescopes of worldwide importance, it is common that a great number of discoveries have taken place in our country. One of these is a giant planet that is three times the size of Jupiter. This was discovered by a young Chilean woman, barely 25 years old, whose work was published in the journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of London.

Solmáforo
The Solmáforos were installed for the first time in our country in 2004 with the purpose of measuring the intensity of ultraviolet rays. It works with a system of 5 colors, depending on the level of danger of the rays: green, yellow, orange, red and violet. This invention was created with the objective of alerting the population so that they can take the corresponding measures to minimize the impact of these rays.

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