Today's technology applied to yesterday's scientific research questions

"The scientific do-over" (registration required), an article by Jeffrey M. Perkel in yesterday's The Scientist, considers "What would you do if you could apply modern technologies to yesterday's scientific questions?"

Perkel discusses a few examples of previous scientific research and how much time would have been saved and perhaps freed up for additional investigations if today's technology had been available. He also notes "You either have the skills or you don't, and no amount of technological development can change that."

The article considers how increased technological capacity for research also increases expectations and demands on the individual researcher.