Feature - The Most Important Inventions (to Us) in Dr. Stone

What if we were all thrown back to the Stone Age, and had to rebuild our world from the ground up? Hopefully, we'd have Senku Ishigami with us! The star of Dr. Stone is a top-tier teen genius, and he's got what it takes to get the world from the wheel to the cell phone in a fraction of the time.

So far, the anime has shown us all sorts of rediscoveries, as well as how important they are to future discoveries. And while we understand that surviving and staying warm and not getting eaten by animals are all important, there are some inventions that we personally rank as most important. Don't judge.

Fire

Okay, okay. We're frivolous, but we're not completely frivolous. Even as we're currently eyeing a list full of snacks and amusements, we have to admit that taming fire is one of the biggies... and without it, many of the things on this list wouldn't even be possible. So fine, we'll allow ourselves one logical entry.

Fire really is a game-changer for humanity. It provides heat and light, it cooks food, and it boils (and thus purifies) water. Most importantly, it scares off apex predators, giving humans time to climb the food chain without being digested into it.

Soap Bubbles

Now that the educational part of the evening is done, let's get back to fun. Why are soap bubbles on this list? Purely for amusement... and that's not a bad thing. We have fond memories of blowing soap bubbles and chasing them around the yard in the summer. In a future Stone Age devoted largely to surviving (and hopefully thriving), there needs to be room for fun.

Of course, we can't ignore the fact that soap bubbles mean soap in general. And if you've seen early episodes of Dr. Stone, you know that the show's title has a double meaning in one of the nicknames for soap: a "stone" that can help heal and cure.

Ramen (middling quality)

Not every discovery is going to be perfect. In some cases, an attempt being made is already a big deal. And in the cast of Dr. Stone, Senku's attempt at bringing back an essential Japanese dish was worth the effort, no matter the taste.

Senku had to play fast and loose with the concept of ramen just to make something vaguely similar, and it was never going to match his ideal bowl. But for future humans who had never had anything like it before, it was a revelation. Now they can work on pinning down how to make it not taste super weird...

Tea (and adjacent drinks)

When humans first discovered what the humble camellia sinensis could do in hot water, it was likely no one expected what would become of it. Tea is one of the world's greatest and most loved drinks — hot, iced, or mixed into an energy drink.

The rediscovery of tea (the plant) in the Stone World means the world of the future is one step closer to tea parties, half-and-half lemonade, and those little lozenges that taste like English Breakfast. Fantastic news all around.

Cotton Candy

Senku, in his genius Senku way, realized at one point that he could use a cotton candy maker to make gold wires. Gold wires put you one step closer to modern electronics. But we're stuck on the whole "cotton candy" part.

Once again, it's a frivolous amusement in a world pushing hard toward evolution. And it's one of our favorite frivolous amusements, as well as being a tasty one. Like ramen (of any quality), it's a whole new experience for the people of the Stone World. And it kind of reminds us of theme parks, another thing that needs rebuilding in the future.

As the Stone Wars arc closes out, it looks like Senku and his friends are on track to keep rebuilding, and eventually get humanity living in the manner to which we are accustomed. In the meantime, we'll be looking to the manga for more scientific advances — tasty treats and otherwise.