From < Computing the future> 摘自《经济学人》 Mar 23rd 2006

WHAT makes a scientific revolution? （1）Thomas Kuhn famously described it as a “paradigm shift”—the change that takes place when one idea is overtaken by another, usually through the replacement over time of the generation of scientists who adhered to an old idea with another that cleaves to a new one.These revolutions can be triggered by technological breakthroughs, such as the construction of the first telescope (which overthrew the Aristotelian idea that heavenly bodies are perfect and unchanging) and by conceptual breakthroughs such as the invention of calculus (which allowed the laws of motion to be formulated). （2）This week, a group of computer scientists claimed that developments in their subject will trigger a scientific revolution of similar proportions in the next 15 years.

new words

overtake     v. 赶上,突然来袭,压倒
1. The murderer was overtaken in his crime.
杀人犯当场被捕。
2. A car overtook me although I was going fast.
我虽然开得很快，还是被一辆车超过了。
3. It's dangerous to overtake on a bend.
在转弯处超车十分危险.
4. The driver behind me tried to overtake on the inside.
我後面的驾驶员想从内车道超过我。
over time    随着时间的过去
1. As a result, nacre thickness is sometimes just a cosmetic layer that can wear thin over time.
所以真珠质的厚度就像脸上化妆品，不久就会磨薄了。
cleave     v. 劈开,分开
1. They cleaved a path through the wilderness.
他们在荒原中开辟出一条路。
2. He cleaved an apple with a knife.
他用一把刀子将苹果切开。
3. This wood cleaves easily.
这种木材容易裂.
4. The ship's bows cleaved (through) the waves.
轮船破浪前进.
trigger     n. 触发器,板机,制滑机 v. 触发器

托马斯库恩的著名观点把科学革命描述成“范式转换”，即一种观点被另一种观点取代时发生的变化，这种变化通常发生在坚持旧观点的一代科学家随着时间的流逝被另一代开辟新观点的科学家所取代的时候。
本周，一群电脑科学家声称他们的课题进展在未来的15年内将要以相似的速度激发一场科学革命。