Chapter 20, Section 1(Impact of Science & Technology)

Technology has changed the way we communicate

• In years past, we spoke in person, wrote letters, passed notes, talked on the telephone (home), left a message on an answering machine, & paged the other person

• In recent years we’ve learned to use cell phones, voice mail, e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, & texting

Space race led to joint effort between the US & Soviet Union

• (1972) US & Soviet Union began joint program to dock two spacecraft while in orbit (July 17, 1975)

• In mid-1980’s, astronauts from all over the world joined the Shuttle missions (US)

• NASA teamed with ESA to launch Hubble Space Telescope

• International Space Station (ISS) began in 1998, but crash (Columbia-2003) put program in danger

Technology has changed global communications

• Satellite communications (1960’s) has turned world into a “global village”

• Space program caused computers & its circuitry to be miniaturized

• Today, computer chips power microwave ovens, cell phones, cars, & many other appliances

• Computers are in offices, most homes, & even portable (laptops, I-Pads, etc.)

• Internet opened door for telecommuting (home) & makes information available to anyone

Technology has changed health and medicine

• More powerful microscopes, the laser, & ultrasound advanced surgical techniques

• CT scans & MRI techniques (medical imaging) improved healthcare (injuries, tumors, etc.)

• Genetic engineering allowed scientists to isolate & examine individual genes

• Advances in biotechnology have led to development of disease-fighting drugs

The “green revolution” & gene revolution

• Green revolution (agricultural scientists) began in 1960’s to increase food production worldwide

• Fertilizers, pesticides, & disease- resistant crops helped increase crop yields & avert famines

• Fertilizers & pesticides cause cancer & pollute the environment / too expensive for small farmers

• “gene revolution” involves pest-resistant plant strains, & plants bred to tolerate poor soil