Lesson 1: Science, Technology, and its Significance to Society in the Contemporary World

Question 1

What is Science, Technology, and Society also referred to as?

Answer 1

Science Technology Studies

Question 2

What is Science, Technology, and Society (or STS)?

Answer 2

the study of how social, political, and cultural values affect scientific research and technological innovation, which shape and are shaped by these factors.

Question 3

What are the two things STS scholars are interested in?

Answer 3

(1) the relationship between scientific and technological innovations and society, and (2) the directions and
risks of science and technology.

Question 4

What is science?

Answer 4

any system of knowledge that is concerned by the physical world and its phenomena.

Question 5

What does science entail?

Answer 5

unbiased observations and systematic experimentation.

Question 6

What is technology according to IGI Global, n.d.?

Answer 6

the creation, usage, and knowledge of tools, techniques, crafts, systems, or methods of organization, to solve a problem or serve some purpose or end

Question 7

What is technology, in other words?

Answer 7

the advanced tool and system that can make users feel comfortable.

Question 8

What are seven examples of successes in the field of science and technology?

Answer 8

(1) The Wheel, (2) The Compass, (3) The Printing Press, (4) The Internal Combustion Engine, (5) The Telephone, (6) Penicillin, and (7) The Internet

Question 9

When was the wheel created?

Answer 9

3500 BC

Question 10

What was the original mechanism of the wheel?

Answer 10

a non-moving platform connected to a rolling cylinder

Question 11

How did the wheel, specifically wheeled carts help society?

Answer 11

Wheeled carts facilitated agriculture and commerce by enabling the transportation of goods to and from markets

Question 12

In what way does the wheel help everyday people?

Answer 12

easing the burden of people traveling great distances

Question 13

Who invented the compass?

Answer 13

the Chinese

Question 14

When was the compass invented?

Answer 14

between the 9th and 11th century

Question 15

What were the two main reasons the compass was beneficial?

Answer 15

(1) the compass enabled mariners to navigate safely far from land, increasing sea trade and (2) contributing to the Age of Discovery.

Question 16

What was the first compass made of?

Answer 16

lodestone, a naturally-magnetized iron ore

Question 17

When was the printing press invented?

Answer 17

Around 1436 / 1430’s - 1440’s

Question 18

Who invented the printing press?

Answer 18

Johannes Gutenburg

Question 19

In what way was the printing press beneficial?

Answer 19

exponentially increased the speed of making book copies, leading to the rapid dissemination of knowledge for the first time in history.

Question 20

What was the ink in the printing press made of?

Answer 20

linseed oil and soot

Question 21

When was the internal combustion engine developed?

Answer 21

the 19th century

Question 22

In what way was the internal combustion engine beneficial?

Answer 22

the engine helped steer civilization into the Industrial Age, enabling the invention of machines like modern cars and aircrafts

Question 23

How did the internal combustion engine work?

Answer 23

the combustion of fuel releases high-temperature gas, which, as it expands, applies force to a piston moving it

in other words, combustion engines convert chemical energy into mechanical work.

Question 24

When was the telephone invented?

Answer 24

1876

Question 25

Who invented the telephone?

Answer 25

Alexander Graham Bell

Question 26

In what way was the telephone beneficial?

Answer 26

the telephone revolutionized global business and communication

Question 27

When was penicillin discovered?

Answer 27

1928, although only advertised and mass-produced by 1944

Question 28

Who discovered penicillin?

Answer 28

Alexander Fleming

Question 29

How was penicillin beneficial to society?

Answer 29

Penicillin fights a huge number of bacterial infections in humans without harming the humans themselves.

Question 30

How was penicillin discovered?

Answer 30

Fleming noticed a bacteria-filled Petri dish in his laboratory, the sample had become contaminated with a mold, and everywhere the mold was, the bacteria was dead. That antibiotic mold turned out to be the fungus Penicillium.

Question 31

When was the internet invented?

Answer 31

the 1960’s

Question 32

What is the internet nicknamed as?

Answer 32

the “information superhighway”,

Question 33

What is the internet?

Answer 33

the global system of interconnected computer networks used by billions of people worldwide

Question 34

Who invented the internet?

Answer 34

A team of computer scientists working for the US Defense Department’s ARPA (Advanced Research Projects Agency)

Question 35

Why was the internet originally created?

Answer 35

ARPA (Advanced Research Projects Agency) built a communications network to connect the computers in the agency

Question 36

What was the internet’s predecessor called

Answer 36

ARPANET

Question 37

What was the method of transmission of ARPANET called?

Answer 37

packet switching

Question 38

What are five examples of the many ethical dillemas of science and technology?

Answer 38

(1) Threats to Human Survival, (2) Exploitation of Advanced Scientific Knowledge, (3) Social and Cultural Conflicts, (4) Environmental, Psychological and Medical Consequences, and (5) Disparities in Human Wellbeing

Question 39

What are three prime examples of eco-friendly technologies?

Answer 39

(1) Solar energy, (2) Geothermal Energy, and (3) Wind Power