[chromic]

I'd say it's because you consider the 'GREATNESS' of a discovery is correlated how well it answers a simple question that almost anyone can come up with. Evolution is a great answer to simple questions about life for anyone willing to accept it, but subatomic particle research just doesn't have immediate implications to most people.

Edit: Also, what are your thoughts on technology? While it isn't a theory or scientific discovery, personal computing has had a major impact on society in the last couple of decades.

[alister]

There's no question that personal computing, the Web, Wikipedia, advance in semiconductors, networking, etc. have been amazing in the last few decades. That's why my question is not, "Where are the great technical developments of our lifetime?" :-).