If the previous era was the heroic era of science then this is the era of discovery. Space and the ambition of traversing and understanding the stars were palpable at the time with the Voyager Program and Apollo flights happening and being televised. During this era, computations and calculations became cheaper and more attainable, known as the period of dichotomy, this is the duality between the increasing sophistication and peaking analogue recording technology and the new digital and computing power emerging on the scene. 

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Key figures such as Stephen Jay Gould, Stephen Hawking, Arthur Ashkin, James Lovelock helped define this era of science as one of continuous discovery. While not all of them are household names, they are still immensely important to the field of science. 

• Stephen Jay Gould had one of the most significant discoveries in the field of biology during this era, being that of a supporting claim to punctuated equilibrium and redefined science's look at evolutionary science by rejecting the previously accepted fundamental theory of Darwinism. 

• Stephen Hawking discovered and hypothesized many theories of physical cosmology, such as the four laws of black hole mechanics and publishing proof of the general theory of relativity. 

• Arthur Ashkin discovered and developed optical tapping, which is a process that captures individual atoms using lasers. This one discovery led to great advancements in computers, hardware, and telecommunications. 

• James Lovelock is an earth scientist who discovered greater methods in the field of cryonics, or the cryopreservation of humans, and more notably, the Gaia hypothesis which states that  Earth functions as a self-regulating system like the human body.

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The education of science within this era shifted from scholarly pursuits to high-paying and highly demanded jobs. US education pushed for STEM education to get students into STEM jobs. However, most of the education needed to get into a STEM field is post-secondary. For the public education K-12, science education's primary goal is to ensure that all students possess sufficient knowledge to engage in public discussion of science and to be knowledgeable consumers of everyday science and technology products. Within this era, science really booms outward to a highly sought-after education.