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Science and Technology

The 20th and the 21st century may be called the golden ages of Science and Technology. Nowadays, science and technology do not just happen in laboratories and university research centres, they have come down to the masses; they have become part of our daily lives.

In communication for example, a revolution has happened. The smart phone has made distances very small. Internet lets us know about anything around the world in a matter of seconds. Emails and video calls have become extremely common. We can communicate with anyone anywhere in the world, at any time, provided they are ‘connected’.

Another example of how science and technology is transforming our lives is the advancements in health care. Within the last century, the advancements in health care has been revolutionary. Organs are being 3D printed now! Cancer treatments are venturing into hitherto unknown territories, and glimpsing success. Modern medicine has become a miracle!

Still another area of human life that science and technology has transformed is transport. Self-driving cars are a reality now. Tesla and Google are pioneers in the area. There is yet another previously unthinkable happening now, which is intergalactic trips. It is just a matter of time before humans can go on vacation trips to the moon, the Mars and other habitable planets.

Are such developments completely beneficial? Well, one has to acknowledge that there is a downside to technological advancements. The young generation, for example, seem to be addicted to the smart phone. We are enchanted with being able to communicate with those who are far away using WhatsApp, but we ignore those who are nearest to us. Children are the main casualties of the communication revolution. They are given the tablet and the smart phone and the television early on, to which they are hooked. They miss out on the typical childhood joys of running around and playing rough.

Ill effects of technological advancements are in the news nowadays. As people read sedentary lifestyles, preferring to chat with friends or watch a video at home to taking a walk, life style diseases are on the increase. Obesity is a major issue. Life span has increased, but so have the incidence of sickness.

The environment however, is the biggest casualty of the science and technology revolution of the 20th and 21st centuries. Pollution, global warming and deforestation are threatening to change the way the planet functions. Climate change is a reality.

Science and technology, whether beneficial or detrimental, will continue to develop at an amazing pace. It is absolutely important that, in the knowledge society of the 21st century, children, parents and teachers, update themselves on the current developments in science and technology.