Thanks for the feedback Amogh, so here’s where I was coming from with that. The pot in pot refrigerator was a simple innovation that almost anyone in the world with access to dirt and fire could potentially make. It’s been invented several times in both recent and ancient history and relies upon simple principles of evaporation that elementary schoolers are taught. It also has significant potential to save lives via reduced risks of foodborne illness, nutrition, and general economic circumstances.
I view the fact that it had been lost/ not re-discovered sooner as a failure worth further introspection. As exciting and inspiring as it may be to count the number of higgs bosons in a pound of soil, we need to be mindful of whether we could with comparable effort deliver (re)discoveries with more direct impact upon the public. It matters not whether one pursues such for the direct, altruistic goal of preserving life or the pragmatic goal of ensuring our gains remain comprehensible enough to capture the public imagination and secure our continued funding.