STS

• The Scientific Revolution was a period of rapid scientific discovery and advancements in the 16th and 17th centuries.
• Science, Technology & Society (STS) is the interaction between science and technology and social, cultural, political, and economic contexts which shape and are shaped by them
• Notable human successes in science and technology include inventions like the wheel, the compass, the printing press, the internal combustion engine, the telephone, penicillin, and the internet
• The wheel, invented around 3500 BC, facilitated agriculture and commerce by enabling the transportation of goods and easing the burden of people traveling great distances
• The compass, invented by the Chinese between the 9th and 11th centuries, enabled mariners to navigate safely far from land, increasing sea trade and contributing to the Age of Discovery
• The printing press, invented around 1440 by Johannes Gutenberg, exponentially increased the speed of making book copies, leading to the rapid dissemination of knowledge for the first time in history
• The internal combustion engine, from the 19th century, converts chemical energy into mechanical work, steering the Industrial Age and enabling the invention of modern cars and aircraft
• The telephone, invented in 1876 by Alexander Graham Bell, revolutionized global business and communication
• Penicillin, discovered in 1928 by Scottish scientist Alexander Fleming, fights bacterial infections in humans without harming them, and was mass-produced by 1944
• The internet, originating in the 1960s, is a global system of interconnected computer networks used by billions of people worldwide
• Advantages of sustainable technologies like solar energy, geothermal energy, and wind power include utilizing resources from the environment without causing negative effects to it
• Threats to human survival from science and technology include the invention of nuclear weapons and toxic wastes produced by manufacturing companies
• Ethical dilemmas arise from the exploitation of advanced scientific knowledge and technological devices, leading to situations where advances seem to have turned against their beneficiaries
• Disparities in human wellbeing exist between advanced countries enjoying science and technology-based successes and millions of people in less developed countries who have not partaken in these benefits
• Innovating technologies can have negative consequences for certain sectors or constituencies, such as pollution, increased unemployment, conversion of agricultural land into urban areas, and psychological and emotional effects on humans
• In the prehistoric times, during the Stone Age, people discovered the use of fire for warmth, cooking, and protection from wild animals, invented clothing, made pottery, and created tools with sharpened edges through flaking
• In the Bronze Age, technologies were created by refining, smelting, and casting metal ores, leading to the creation of spears, daggers, swords, axes, and the building of dikes to regulate water flow
• In the Iron Age, people realized that dark-silvery rocks could be worked into tools and weapons, leading to more efficient farming tools like sickles and plough tips, and advancements in chemistry and medicine
• Ancient Sumerian Civilization:

  • Sumer was the southernmost region of ancient Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq and Kuwait)
  • First established around 3600 BC, known as the "first cities" in the world
  • Transformed families into tribes which became cities and were later called states
• In Sumerian Civilization:

  • Cuneiform was the first writing system, developed around 3100 BC
  • Sumerian clay tablets contained historical information and culture, evolving from record-keeping for trade to writing down laws and stories
  • The concept of the wheel grew out of a mechanical device invented by the Sumerians shortly after 3500 BC, known as the potter's wheel
• Babylonian Civilization:

  • Babylonia was the ancient region bordering the Tigris and Euphrates rivers (Iraq)
  • Hammurabi (1792-1750 BC) was the first leader of the Babylonian Empire, known for the famous law code that maintained stability in the region
  • Nebuchadnezzar II, the Neo Babylonian Emperor, ordered the construction of the "Hanging Gardens of Babylon" and the Ishtar Gate
• Egyptian Civilization:

  • Situated in northeastern Africa along the Nile River
  • Ancient Egyptians learned to heat metal ore and make weapons and utensils, possibly being the first to make glass
  • They developed a calendar based on the phases of the moon and had expertise in human anatomy, physiology, surgery, and medical plants
• Minoan Civilization:

  • Located on the island of Crete and other Aegean islands, flourishing from 2600 to 1400 BC
  • Minoans were mercantile people engaged in overseas trade, known for their involvement in the important tin trade
  • They constructed well drainage systems, public halls, courtyards, and religious shrines, showing knowledge in mathematics, engineering, and architecture
• Olmec Civilization:

  • The first great Mesoamerican civilization, thriving along the Southern gulf coast of Mexico from about 1200 to 400 BC
  • Olmecs were known for extracting latex from rubber trees, colossal sculptures, and cultivating cacao, rubber, and salt
  • They studied astronomy, practiced human sacrifice and cannibalism, and traded goods like obsidian, ceramics, jade, and feathers
• Maya Civilization:

  • Diverse indigenous people living in present-day Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras
  • Known for remarkable achievements in astronomy, engineering, medicine, and mathematics
• Ancient Civilizations Learning Objectives:

  1. Sumerian Civilization

  2. Babylonian Civilization

  3. Egyptian Civilization

  4. Minoan Civilization

  5. Olmec Civilization

  6. Maya Civilization

  7. Aztec Civilization

  8. Inca Civilization
• Ancient Science and Technology:

  • Tools were made by smelting iron
  • Cure for diseases was done by diagnosing symptoms
  • Hippocrates used pulse examination to diagnose illness
  • Pythagoras developed famous theories in Geometry
  • Advances in irrigation, shipbuilding, and more were made using iron elements and mechanical objects
• Ancient Science and Technology:

  • Sumerians developed cuneiform writing, the first writing system
  • Potter's wheel was invented by the Sumerians
  • Egyptians learned to heat metal ore and make glass
  • Minoans were known for their involvement in the tin trade and advanced architecture
  • Olmecs studied astronomy and practiced human sacrifice
• Ancient Science and Technology:

  • Babylonians contributed to science and technology with irrigation systems and accurate astronomical predictions
  • Maya civilization had remarkable achievements in astronomy, engineering, medicine, and mathematics
• Ancient Science and Technology:

  • Egyptians had expertise in human anatomy, physiology, surgery, and medical plants
  • Minoans showed knowledge in mathematics, engineering, and architecture
  • Olmecs studied astronomy and practiced human sacrifice
• The Mayans had remarkable achievements in astronomy, engineering, medicine, and mathematics
• Mayan architecture and engineering skills are manifested in the grandeur of their tall pyramids of limestone, with small temples on the top constructed like an arch
• Mayans were talented in building elaborate temples and great cities without essential tools like metals; they were believed to be producing rubber products
• Mayans tracked the movement of stars and planets across the sky and were able to predict eclipses, with Venus being their most important astronomical object
• The Mayans discovered an accurate calendar, with a ritual calendar using a count of 260 days
• Mayan writing was made up of about 800 glyphs or symbols
• Mayans developed a vigesimal number system with 20 essential digits, using symbols like a shell, dot, and a bar to represent numbers
• The Aztec civilization established their city of Tenochtitlan, present-day Mexico City, in 1325 A.D., known for expanding their empire through ruthless warfare and human sacrifices
• Aztec technology accomplishments include the development of Mathematics, the canoe, a specialized calendar, and medicine
• Aztec weapons were made with obsidian and chert, including innovative weapons like the Macuahuitl, a wooden club with sharp volcanic glass pieces