Advances in Technology and Exchange

Advances in Technology and Exchange

• Essential Question: How has the development of new technology changed the world since 1900?
• Quote: "Technology made large populations possible; large populations now make technology indispensable." - Joseph Krutch

Globalization and Telecommunications

• Globalization and telecommunications have made the world feel smaller.
• Radio (early 1900s):
  • Brought news, music, and cultural events to a wide audience.
• Air travel and shipping containers:
  • Promoted the widespread movement of people and goods.
  • Shipping containers are large, standard-sized units that can be carried on trucks, trains, or ships.
• Energy technologies (oil and nuclear power):
  • Enabled faster and cheaper transportation of goods.
• Internet (developed by U.S. Defense Department, popularized in the late 1990s):
  • Emerged as a regular communication tool.
• Knowledge economies:
  • Based on developing or sharing information.
  • Took root in cities worldwide.

Communication and Transportation Technologies

• Communication Technologies:
  • Connected people globally before the internet.
  • Television and radio ads encouraged long-distance phone calls.
• Mobile Technologies (1990s):
  • Cellphones put information creation and dissemination tools in individuals' hands.
• Social Networking Sites (Twitter, Facebook):
  • Made media accessible to anyone, anywhere.
• Impact of Technology:
  • Videos of police actions led to racial profiling inquiries and outrage.
  • Social media played a role in the "Arab Spring," where anti-government protests spread via shared experiences.
• Transportation advancements:
  • Move people and goods into actual proximity.
  • Approximately 2 million people fly daily.
  • Cargo planes transport commercial shipments continuously.
  • Giant tankers carry thousands of shipping containers, some too large for the Panama Canal.

The Green Revolution

• Mid-20th Century:
  • A response to hunger involving new varieties of wheat, rice, and grains.
  • Higher yields and greater resistance to pests, diseases, and drought.
• Methods used:
  • Crossbreeding: Breeding two plant varieties to create a hybrid.
  • Genetic Engineering: Manipulating a cell or organism to change its basic characteristics.
  • Increased use of irrigation, fertilizers, and pesticides.
  • Deforestation for agriculture in areas like Brazil.
  • Dramatic increase in land devoted to crops, especially grains, worldwide.
• Problems associated with the Green Revolution:
  • Small farmers could not afford new fertilizers or pesticides.
  • Unable to compete with large landowners, leading to the sale of land.
  • Mechanized equipment reduced jobs for farm laborers.
  • Chemicals damaged the soil and environment.
• Concerns with Genetic Engineering:
  • Genetic modification may harm pollinating insects like bees.
  • Loss of older seed varieties as new genetically engineered plants are adopted.
• Grain Production in China (1945-2010):
  • The graph illustrates the total grain production in China from 1945 to 2010, showcasing a significant increase over the years.

Energy Technologies

• 1900:
  • Coal accounted for about half of global energy consumption.
• Later Developments:
  • Petroleum (crude oil) and natural gas became widespread due to extraction, refinement, and transportation technologies.
  • Nuclear power plants began generating electricity for factories and homes, stemming from research in the 1930s and 1940s.
• Fossil Fuels (coal, petroleum, and natural gas):
  • Nonrenewable resources that are permanently depleted upon use.
  • Contribute to air pollution and greenhouse gases (especially carbon dioxide).
• Nuclear Power:
  • Considered a clean energy but has dangers.
  • Risks include radiation leaks from accidents and hazardous nuclear waste storage.
• Mitigation Efforts:
  • Technologies are being developed to combat carbon dioxide emissions and minimize harm from nuclear power.
  • The building of nuclear power plants declined starting in the 1980s.
  • Nuclear power accounts for only about 5 percent of global energy consumption.
• Renewable Resources (wind and solar power):
  • Supplying energy to industries and homes, but they represent only 5 percent of global energy output.

Medical Innovations

• Advances in medicine have dramatically affected human survival and longevity.

Antibiotics

• 1928:
  • Alexander Fleming discovered that a fungus produced a substance that killed bacteria, leading to the discovery of penicillin.
• Penicillin:
  • Became the first antibiotic that cures bacterial infections.
  • Saved lives of soldiers during World War II.
  • Later used in civilian settings to fight various illnesses.
• Fleming's Warning:
  • Extensive use of antibiotics leads to the evolution of antibiotic-resistant strains that could be untreatable, raising fears of renewed epidemics.
• Penicillin Fungi:
  • Penicillin is derived from Penicillium fungi and can be administered orally or by injection.
  • It functions by disrupting bacterial cell walls.
  • Human treatment with penicillin began in 1941.

Reliable Birth Control

• Early 1950s:
  • Gregory Pincus developed the birth control pill.
  • More reliable than barrier methods at the time.
• Testing and Approval:
  • Tested on women in the 1950s and approved for widespread use in 1960 in the U.S.
• Impact:
  • Fertility rates declined globally.
  • Transformed sexual practices and reshaped gender roles.
  • By 2018, over 300 million women worldwide were using modern forms of contraception, including the pill.

Vaccines

• Used since 1796, but widespread distribution began after 1900.
• Impact:
  • Polio and measles became rare, and smallpox was eradicated by the 1980s, thanks to vaccines.
  • Vaccines prevent mumps, tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough.
  • Malaria vaccine in the trial stage as of 2019.
• World Health Organization (WHO):
  • Vaccines prevent as many as 3 million deaths each year in the 21st century.
  • Better vaccination coverage could save another 1.5 million people annually.
  • Some people are unable to get vaccinated due to living in hard-to-reach areas.

Key Terms by Theme

• Society:
  • Communication
  • Radio
  • Internet
  • Crossbreeding
  • Genetic Engineering
• Technology: Travel
  • Shipping Containers
• Environment: Ecology
  • Green Revolution
• Technology: Medicine
  • Antibiotic
  • Birth Control
  • Fertility Rates
  • Vaccine