10.11 Lecture – Science and Technology

I. Setting the Stage A. Soviet Union was the first to put an artificial satellite in space and the first human to orbit around the planet. B. United States was the first to put a man on the moon. II. Exploring the Solar System and Beyond A. Competition turned to cooperation between the United States and the Soviet Union in space exploration 1. Soviet Union sent international crews into space on the Soyuz 28. a. Countries involved were Saudi Arabia, France, Germany, Canada, Italy, Japan, Israel, and Mexico.

B. Building of the International Space Station 1. Size of a football field 2. Houses a crew of six 3. Crash of the Columbia in February 2003 has put the future of the ISS in question. C. Exploring the Universe 1. Currently studying the farther planets of the Solar System a. Much interest has been directed towards Mars III. Expanding Global Communications A. World has transformed into a global village with satellite communications.

B. Smaller, more powerful computers 1. First computers in the 1940s and they were huge a. Required fans or air-conditioning systems 2. Computers have become much smaller and powerful a. Influence from this change has occurred through the space program and needing computers to fit into a small area in a spacecraft. 3. Silicon chips replaced large computers holding millions of microscopic circuits. a. Microwaves, telephone, keyboards, and cars used computers and chips. C. Communications Networks

1. Internet – Voluntary linkage of computer networks around the world. a. Between 1995 to 2002 the number of worldwide Internet users soared from 26 million to more than 600 million. IV. Transforming Human Life A. Technological progress in the sciences, medicine, and agriculture has improved the quality of the lives of millions of people. B. Health and Medicine

1. Advances improved surgical techniques 2. Can look at organs within the body in order to diagnose injuries, detect tumors, or collect other medical information. 3. Genetic engineering – scientists are able to introduce new genes into an organism to give it new traits. 4. Cloning – creation of identical copies of DNA a. Many breakthroughs in agriculture.

C. The Green Revolution – an increase in food production worldwide 1. Helped avert famine and increase crop yields in many parts of the world. 2. Negative side – dangerous chemicals are present causing cancer and pollution. a. very expensive to keep up crops and production b. small farmers are washed out of competition c. Accidental creation of disease-causing organisms through gene therapy in agriculture. 3. Altered economies worldwide