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If the 50 years that have just passed can be dizzying in terms of changes to our daily life—and our socio-economic activities—that is more an effect of the application of already old discoveries and innovations than of current theoretical breakthroughs, as this article by Pierre Papon shows. The sense of accelerated change we might experience with the spread of information technologies, artificial intelligence and renewable energies (to name but these) is not, then, entirely justified: a look back at scientific research shows that the societal appropriation of scientific discoveries is a long-term affair. Pierre Papon’s article seeks to make this point with “an assessment of the major areas of work opened up by science and technology” since 1975, the year of Futuribles’ inception. To this end, he surveys the major fields explored by research: the decarbonization of energy (batteries, nuclear, hydrogen), the IT revolution and artificial intelligence, quantum physics and computing, molecular biology and genetic engineering, space exploration… In each field, he points to the discoveries that have turned out to be important, together with the applications that have ensued or might yet eventuate. Many of these are the product of work that goes back several decades. Lastly, he reminds us of the extent to which international cooperation and information-sharing between researchers are essential to scientific and technical progress—and particularly crucial to the ethical thinking that must accompany it as it is translated into concrete applications and taken on board by society.