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Re:Graphene: Fast, Strong, Cheap, and Impossible to Use by crusso on Monday December 15, 2014 @05:13PM (#8754774)
which means instead of a discovery in lab A spurring a totally new way of thinking in lab B

Without the patent system's protections, lab A would be unlikely to divulge its discoveries to lab B.

Re:Graphene: Fast, Strong, Cheap, and Impossible to Use by DannyBee on Monday December 15, 2014 @05:50PM (#8754958)
So the grants they depend on require divulgence to get the grant. It's not like they are funding themselves ...
Re:Graphene: Fast, Strong, Cheap, and Impossible to Use by jacquesm on Monday December 15, 2014 @05:17PM (#8754798)
That's fine, they're going to have to market their stuff some day.
Re:Graphene: Fast, Strong, Cheap, and Impossible to Use by Someone on Monday December 15, 2014 @05:49PM (#8754947)
That doesn't guarantee that the secrets come out. Counterexamples are Damascus steel and Roman concrete.
Re:Graphene: Fast, Strong, Cheap, and Impossible to Use by nitrogen on Monday December 15, 2014 @07:10PM (#8755255)
That doesn't guarantee that the secrets come out. Counterexamples are Damascus steel and Roman concrete.

Both of those have been reverse engineered by now. We have the advantage of the scientific method and a robust (reverse) engineering culture that would keep secrets from remaining secrets for too long.

Re:Graphene: Fast, Strong, Cheap, and Impossible to Use by cthalupa on Monday December 15, 2014 @08:41PM (#8755501)
Damascus steel has not been completely successfully reproduced to this day, though we're probably 95% of the way there.

Though, it's not exactly a field with hordes of scientists looking to reproduce it.

Re:Graphene: Fast, Strong, Cheap, and Impossible to Use by wyager on Monday December 15, 2014 @11:30PM (#8755857)
>Damascus steel has not been completely successfully reproduced to this day

Because it sucks compared to modern knife steels. VG-10, S30V, or any other high-end steel beats the hell out of Damascus/wootz steel.

If there were any serious benefit to Damascus steel, we would have certainly reverse-engineered it by now.

[deleted]
Re:Graphene: Fast, Strong, Cheap, and Impossible to Use by staunch on Monday December 15, 2014 @07:33PM (#8755330)
The brightest minds weren't exactly hard at work at this.