Yet he also absorbed the daring new techniques that were emerging at the time, illustrated here by the work of Masaccio and Uccello with their grasp of three- dimensional form and the rules of perspective.

ECONOMIST: A rare chance to see the works of a 15th-century master

Biologist James Watson and physicist Francis Crick realized our DNA molecules form a three-dimensional double helix in 1953.

CNN: 5 cool things DNA testing can do

It was already known that six is the minimum number of water molecules needed to form a three-dimensional structure.

ECONOMIST: Molecular bonding

Three-dimensional printers, which gradually layer materials to form shapes, are widely used in manufacturing.

WSJ: Scientists use 3-D printing to help grow an ear