Historical Antecedents of Science and Technology – Quick Reference

Definition: Precursor to the unfolding or existence of something; factors that pave the way for advanced scientific and technological innovations.

Oldest technologies: Stone tools (Oldowan) during the Stone Age.
Three distinct periods: Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic.
Paleolithic: hunting and gathering.
Mesolithic: rise of agriculture leading to permanent settlements.
Neolithic: domestication of plants and animals (Agricultural Revolution).
Bronze Age: copper first metal used.
Hunter-gatherer mobility; knowledge spread via migration.
End of Agricultural Revolution: development of copper, bronze, iron; ceramics; wheels; writing.
Civilizations built infrastructures: irrigation, roads, bridges.

Sumerians: Potter's Wheel; first two-wheeled chariot; Cuneiform (earliest writing).
Egyptian Papyrus: writing surface; alternative to stone writing.
Shadoof (Shaduf): hand-operated irrigation device.
Antikythera Mechanism: ancient computer; astronomical calculations.
Aeolipile: Heron's engine; precursor to steam engine.

Ionian School of Philosophy: early scientific method based on reasoning and observation.
Notable philosophers: Socrates, Plato, Aristotle.
Socrates: Elenchus (inquiry); break problems into questions; early hypothesis concept.
Plato: emphasized proof; abstract concepts; concrete hypotheses.
Aristotle: deductive method; observation to identify natural principles.

Decline in science and technology around 530 AD due to wars, famine, diseases, piracy, poverty; Christian influence on teachings.
Black Death spurred medical knowledge advances; plague caused by Yersinia pestis.
Charlemagne revived schools; centers of knowledge.
India: Zero concept (śūnya); Aryabhata associated with inventing the number 0; diffusion from Babylonian sources to India.
Heavy Plough improved agriculture; linked to ~10% increase in population density and urbanization.
Gunpowder invented by Chinese alchemists (~850 AD); spread to Europe/Asia; transformed warfare.
Paper Money emerged in 17th century China; easier transport than metals.
Spinning Wheel: transforms fiber into thread; India possibly inventor (6th–11th c.).

End of Middle Ages ushered in Age of Discovery; ships and compass; advances in geography and cartography.
Renaissance: humanism; artists like Leonardo da Vinci; science and art intersection.
Scientific Revolution; Royal Society; Newton, Franklin.
Key Inventions:
- Telescope: Galileo; initial magnification ~8x; Starry Messenger (1610); Moon not a perfect sphere; Jupiter's moons.
- Compound Microscope: Janssen; magnification up to ~10x; microbiology.
- Jacquard Loom: Jacquard; punched cards; precursor to computing.
- Steam Engine: Savery (1698); Newcomen (1712); Watt (1765) with separate condenser.
- Engine-Powered Airplane: Wright brothers; thrust from rotating wings.
- Television: John Logie Baird; 1924–1928; moving images.

Erythromycin: Abelardo Aguilar; macrolide antibiotic; from Saccharopolyspora erythraea; licensing issues with Eli Lilly.
Bamboo Incubator: Fe Del Mundo; first Filipino woman pediatrician at Harvard; founder of first pediatric hospital; Ramon Magsaysay Award.
Banana Ketchup: Maria Orosa; wartime substitute; ingredients include banana, sugar, vinegar, spices.
SALt (Sustainable Alternative Lighting) Lamp: Aisa and Raphael Mijeno; galvanic cell using saline solution; safe and non-toxic; conductivity via ions.