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This page contains the scientific and technological developments of the 1990s

Science

Hubble Space Telescope

• Detection of extrasolar planets orbiting stars other than the sun.
• Dolly the sheep is cloned.
• Human Genome Project begins.
• DNA identification of individuals finds wide application in criminal law.
• Hubble Space Telescope launched in 1990; revolutionizes astronomy.
• Protease inhibitors introduced allowing HAART therapy against HIV; drastically reduces AIDS mortality.
• NASA's spacecraft Pathfinder lands on Mars and deploys a small roving vehicle, Sojourner, which analyzes the planet's geology and atmosphere.
• The Hale-Bopp comet swings past the sun for the first time in 4,200 years in April 1997.
• Development of biodegradable products, replacing products made from Styrofoam; advances in methods for recycling of waste products (such as paper, glass, aluminum).
• Genetically engineered crops are developed for commercial use.
• Discovery of dark matter, dark energy, brown dwarfs, and first confirmation of black holes.
• The Galileo probe orbits Jupiter, studying the planet and its moons extensively.
• The Global Positioning System (GPS) becomes fully operational.
• Proof of Fermat's last theorem is discovered by Andrew Wiles.
• Construction starts on the International Space Station – 1996

Technology

Some technologies invented and improved during the 1990s:

Graphic representation of the WWW.

Hardware

• The Pentium processor is developed by Intel.
• Explosive growth of the Internet, perhaps caused by a decrease in the cost of computers and other technology.
• Advancements in computer modems, ISDN, cable modems and DSL lead to faster connection to the Internet.
• Pagers are initially popular but ultimately are replaced by mobile phones toward the end of the decade.
• Hand-held satellite phones are introduced towards the end of the decade.
• CD burner drives are introduced.
• Digital SLRs and regular Digital cameras become commercially available.
• The DVD media format is developed and popularized along with a plethora of Flash memory card standards.
• Apple introduces the iMac computer, initiating a trend in computer design towards translucent plastics and multicolor case design, discontinuing many legacy technologies like serial ports, and beginning a resurgence in the company's fortunes that continues unabated to this day.
• IBM introduces the 1-inch (25 mm) wide Microdrive hard drive in 170 MB and 340 MB capacities.
• The first GSM network is launched in Finland in 1991
• The first MP3 Player, the MPMan, is released in late spring of 1998. It came with 32Mb of flash memory expandable to 64Mb.
• The introduction of affordable, smaller satellite dishes and the DVB-S standard in the mid-1990s expanded satellite television services that carried up to 500 television channels.

Software

• The World Wide Web and HTML are created by Tim Berners-Lee and eventually displace the Gopher protocol.
• Microsoft introduces Windows 95 and later Windows 98 to the market, which gain immediate popularity.
• The development of Web browsers such as Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer makes surfing the World Wide Web easier and more user friendly.
• The Java programming language is developed by Sun Microsystems.
• Businesses start to build E-commerce websites; E-commerce-only companies such as Amazon.com, eBay, AOL, and Yahoo! grow rapidly.
• E-mail becomes popular; as a result Microsoft acquires the popular Hotmail.com webmail service.
• Instant Messaging and the buddy list becomes popular. AIM and ICQ are two early protocols.
• The Year 2000 problem (commonly known as Y2K), the computer glitch disaster expected to happen on January 1, 2000.
• Microsoft Windows operating systems become virtually ubiquitous on IBM PCs.
• Development of the free Linux kernel is started by Linus Torvalds in Finland.

See also

• 1980s in science and technology
• 1990 in science
• 1991 in science
• 1992 in science
• 1993 in science
• 1994 in science
• 1995 in science
• 1996 in science
• 1997 in science
• 1998 in science
• 1999 in science
• 2000s in science and technology