The Scientist Ahead of His Time: Leonardo da Vinci

The Scientist Ahead of His Time: Leonardo da Vinci

Today, we continue to discuss Leonardo da Vinci, a figure whose achievements extended far beyond what you may already know, such as Watt’s invention of the steam engine or Galileo’s heliocentric theory. However, you might not be aware that da Vinci had already conducted relevant research two or three hundred years before these scientists.

1. For the world, da Vinci is an irreplaceable master in the field of art. However, many people don’t realize that da Vinci made even more remarkable contributions not just in painting, music, and sculpture, but in fields like mathematics, physics, astronomy, geology, and physiology. Einstein believed that if da Vinci’s scientific discoveries had been published at the time, technology could have advanced 30 to 50 years ahead. Therefore, da Vinci’s extraordinary contributions to art were more like his “hobby.” His true identity should have been that of a scientist.
2. Copernicus and Galileo’s heliocentric theory, Watt’s steam engine, Newton’s law of conservation of energy—two or three hundred years before these groundbreaking discoveries, da Vinci had already done related research. He left behind over 7,500 pages of manuscripts covering designs, ideas, and reports across various fields. Da Vinci’s experimental approach paved a new path for later scientists.
3. Da Vinci’s manuscripts were written in mysterious mirror writing, with letters written in reverse using his left hand, and could only be read with a mirror. This encrypted method was used because many of his research topics were huge challenges to the foundations of religion, which would have drawn fierce opposition from the Church. Furthermore, plagiarism was rampant in society, so da Vinci used this technique to protect his research findings by hiding them in a cipher.
4. Da Vinci considered himself a scientist, and this was the direction of his lifelong efforts. To support this, we can look at the self-recommendation letter he wrote to the Duke of Milan. After being recommended by Lorenzo de’ Medici, the third head of the Medici family, da Vinci sought work from the Duke of Milan. In his “resume,” he casually mentioned his artistic abilities, but the majority of the letter focused on his skills in engineering and science. This shows that he regarded his scientific capabilities as his greatest strengths.
5. As a scientist, da Vinci designed the propeller, which greatly advanced the productivity of society at the time. In Europe, where there was high demand for waterways, ships were powered by manual rowing. Even in Venice, with its well-developed waterways, training rowers was costly and inefficient. After da Vinci invented the propeller, most ships continued to use this principle for propulsion even today. One can imagine the immense impact this had on the productivity of the time.
6. Da Vinci, as a scientist, also designed the cornerstone of modern industry—the ball bearing. Ball bearings, which are small wheels or steel balls placed between two wheels, reduce friction during motion, improve transmission efficiency, and reduce mechanical wear. This technology is still used today in railway transport, aerospace, and various mechanical designs, making it a truly groundbreaking invention.
7. The most troubling design for da Vinci throughout his life was the flying machine. The desire for human flight didn’t begin with the Wright brothers and the invention of the airplane in the 20th century. As early as the 16th century, four hundred years ago, da Vinci was already working on flying machines. Unfortunately, due to a lack of research on airspeed and the absence of proper calculations, his work focused on mimicking birds and attempting to fly by flapping wings like them. As a result, the invention was never successful. However, during this process, he inadvertently invented the bicycle and the parachute.
8. Although da Vinci’s designs were ahead of the world by centuries, most of them never came to fruition. During his lifetime, they existed only as blueprints. The reason these inventions didn’t materialize was that da Vinci was far ahead of his time. Technological advancements require the establishment of many basic infrastructures before they can be applied. Da Vinci’s forward-thinking designs lacked the demand for application in an era with less developed productivity, which meant society didn’t invest in them, and the blueprints never became reality.