All you ever hear is how great this invention is, or that invention is. It is true, there are some great things out there, but there are also some things that I wish had never been invented. I thought that I might take a small look at what I perceive to be the worst scientific inventions and "advancements". This is only my opinion, but I will be more than glad to give you the reasons for my opinion on each item.

Photo Source: ImageAfter

The all time worst invention has to be the nuclear bomb. We invented this weapon so that we could save lives by not having to invade the Japanese home islands in World War II. It seemed like a good idea at the time and other countries were on the verge of inventing it. It probably would have been invented a few years later. Now the world is being held hostage by those that would use this device against us. It seems that it is only a matter of time before this device falls into the hands of terrorists. Were we short sighted when we invented the bomb? Many rogue countries are developing nuclear weapons and it is only a matter of time before most countries have one or more of these bombs. We have managed to make this a status symbol on top of everything else. Countries feel that this gives them bargaining power. Look at North Korea, that is a perfect example. What happens when a madman finally gets his hands on one? I think we all know the answer.

Photo Source: U.S. Defence Dept.

Radar has been our friend for almost 60 years now. This device has saved lives and made navigation much more safe. How could anyone have anything bad to say about this invention? Well I am afraid that this invention is changing. The newest type of radar will have the power to send destructive waves outward. It is said that they will only be used to destroy other radars, but if you believe this, I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you. Radar is very powerful and I am afraid that strong radiation from one of these things might just be able to fry any unsuspecting troops that are in a certain location. We are also working on microwave generators that will do the same thing. Yes, the microwave started out as a handy device for warming food and now it is going to be used as a deadly weapon.

Photo Source: U.S. Navy

Not every invention that I am talking about is used to kill. One of the worst is the hydrogen powered car. I do not believe that the car companies have any inclination to ever mass produce one. I know, how can I say this when you have seen photos of them cruising around? It is quite simple really, it is a question of economics. It cost the car companies about $1,000,000 to build one hydrogen car. The fuel is very hard to store in the car and there are no refueling stations. If there were refueling stations, the cheapest price for hydrogen fuel right now would be about 4 times the current price for gasoline. Hydrogen is only about 1/4th as powerful as gasoline, which means you need to store more. Not only that, but the president is pushing hydrogen, but the kind that is made from OIL. This will be even more expensive. It looks like the whole thing is a scam to make us think that relief is coming from those high oil and gas prices, when it really isn't. This shuts us up. Electric cars are already far more economical, even the hybrids. Some experts have stated that a hybrid is ultimately capable of getting 180 miles per gallon of gas

Another invention that is turning out to be a hazard to our health is genetically altered crops. First of all, they spread into other crops and those crops become altered. That might not be so bad, if some or all of these crops weren't harmful to humans, but we do not know what the long term effects might be. The people developing these crops will tell us that they are completely safe, yet Europe refuses to allow them in. If they are so safe, why would they be banned? We have been touting the crops as being hunger stoppers and want to use these crops in places where hunger is rampant. Are we doing this to be helpful? It is said that if these places use a lot of fertilizer and a transgenetic crop, they can increase their crop yields about 30%. Many of the people in these countries don't want these crops, because they are afraid that they will harm their environment. Hey, the companies here are pushing because they see a gold mine, that doesn't necessarily mean that this stuff is bad, but we know that there is no way of keeping the crops from spreading their spores and seeds. Another thing that is yet to be proven, is the fact that these crops actually out produce normal crops, even though this is constantly being said. In 1999 over 60 countries voted against the use of these crops. Here are some of the reasons that people don't want to use these crops:
DNA can enter the body via the gastrointestinal tract.
Unanticipated toxins or allergens might be produced.
Genes can transfer between these crops and bacteria and who knows what the consequences might be?

Photo Source: MorgueFile

Plastic Bottles seemed like a great invention, but this was for all of 5 minutes, until someone realized that plastics contain compounds that leech into some of the liquids put into the bottles. When we drink a bottle of soda, or soda pop as some call it, we are not only drinking the soda, but some of the ingredients from the plastic. Soda is carbonated, that means it is acidic and that causes a reaction with this type of bottle. These compounds have been found to interfere with the human immune system according to some doctors. When experiments were conducted with rats, a diorganotin that was used in PVC stabilization, which is in clear PVC bottles, gave the rats pancreatic damage. When tests were conducted, a high percentage of the people tested in this country had elements from PVC bottles in their body.

Photo Source: Stock.xching

Spam was invented when the internet became popular. I am not talking about the pork product, I am referring to unwanted email advertisements. You know what they are, they fill your inbox every day. Some of the ads are obnoxious and others are just plain annoying. The spam is bad enough, but I don't know why these people think that they have to send you several copies of the same letter. Most of the emails boil down to about three categories: Sexual, Stocks and Medicine. Here is what I don't get, I receive spam emails that have a title of something like "New Chevrolet", yet when I open it up, it is a stock tip. Would anyone buy stocks from someone that had to trick you to open their mail, how reliable would this person be as your broker? Give me a break. Another good one is the spam email stating that you can't trust those other medical emails because their pills may not be real, yet they want you to buy theirs. The other day several anti spam sites were attacked by what is called a denial of service attack. That was the sending of so many emails to each site, that they caused the site to bog down or crash. While email is great, the abuse of it isn't.

The U.N. or United Nations has to be one of the very worst organizations ever formed. It has a huge bloated bureaucracy that costs a fortune and the major supplier of its money is us. What has really been accomplished by this agency? I am sure if you asked them that question that they would supply a long list of accomplishments, but the reality is that there are always wars going on and the U.N. doesn't seem to be able to stop them. Why should we give this agency billions of dollars, especially when we are really in need ourselves. Just look at our deficit.

Well there you have it, what I think are the worst inventions and institutions. Many of you may not agree with my conclusions and that is fine, as I have always said, everyone is entitled to their own opinions. Maybe some of you want to send me your lists? Feel free to do so and if you have good reasons, I will add them to the end of this article or create a second article with your opinions and reasons for them. There are still tons of bad inventions and institutions that I didn't mention.