BEBI Q’S REVIEWER FOR STS MADE BY HER BOYFRIEND NA SUPER POGI AND YUMMY

Part 2
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CHAPTER 3
SPECIFIC ISSUES IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY
A. THE INFORMATION AGE
 age of information
 age of computer
 digital or digitized age
 media age
- characterized by the transition from the traditional industry until the age of information
technology
- the phenomenon is that the digital industry creates a knowledge-based society surrounded by
a high-tech global economy that spans its influence on how the manufacturing and the service
sectors operate in an efficient and convenient way
According to Von Baeyer
Information
 poised to replace matter as the primary stuff of the universe
 will provide a new basic framework for describing and predicting reality in the 21 st
century
 provides learners with facts and basic ideas on certain things
 allows learners to connect with the technological environment and the modern world of
technology
BEING INFORMED means LITERACY, and no one is left behind because of the knowledge gained
from this.
JOHANNES GENSFLEISCH ZUR LADEN ZUM GUTENBERG - German blacksmith, goldsmith,
inventor, printer, and publisher who introduced printing to Europe with the printing
press. Wikipedia
Born: 24 June 1400, Mainz, Germany
Died: 3 February 1468, Mainz, Germany
Nationality: German
Known for: The invention of the movable-type printing press
Alma mater: University of Erfurt
Invention: Printing press
 established the Gutenberg era

 responsible for shaping the nature of society and its institutions throughout the period
GUTENBERG PRINCIPLE
 Gutenberg Rule or Z pattern of processing
THE PRE- GUTENBERG ERA
Invention of the printing press- start in the explosion and emergence of new ideas that came
across diverse people and individualities
Information – captured in the laborious and difficult manner
time was greatly consumed
books must be read comprehensively
tablets were available but access to information was restricted to a small elite group
 Transmission of knowledge at that time – rely on purely word-of –mouth channels and
the form of information that was prevalent was, therefore, the story , the story of
others.
 Social media and its accessibility – very minimal and limited to those who can afford to
buy and have one
THE GUTENBERG REVOLUTION
 Introduction of printing press – revolutionary in its impact and played a great role in the
development of society
 Credited as being catalyst for the Renaissance, the development of science and creating
the pressures
Everyday Life
 changed immensely because of advent of technology
 faster
 dynamic
  more comfortable
 Relying more on smartphones and tablets as sole means of communication with the rest
of the world
 People became more lethargic and less sociable in person
THE POST-GUTENBERG WORLD: THE AGE OF SOCIAL MEDIA
Marked the Emergence of the Modern World of Technology in 90’s
Internet
World Wide Web
Broadband internet access- made possible and the video presentation and researches became
readily available
 Blogging and social networking
 Facebook
 Instagram
 Twitter
 You tube
 Flicker
 Google

POST- GUTENBERG PRINCIPLE – social information principle

Information can now flow between one individual to another and all of the potential individuals from
whom the information might be relevance and of great significance.

B. BIODIVERSITY AND THE HEALTHY SOCIETY

Biodiversity – biological diversity

 describes the variety of living beings on earth

 Describes degree of variation of life

 Encompasses microorganisms, plants, animals and ecosystems such as

- coral reefs

- forests

- rainforests
 - deserts

 number or abundance of different species living within a particular region

 represents the wealth of biological resources available to us

ECOSYSTEM

IMPORTANCE OF BIODIVERSITY

1. Increase ecosystem productivity; each species in an ecosystem has a specific niche- a role to play.

2. Support a larger number of plant species, and therefore, a greater variety of crops.

3. Protect freshwater resources.

4. Promote soil formation.

5. Provide for nutrient storage and recycling.

6. Aid in breaking down pollutants.

7. Contribute to climate stability.

8. Speed recovery from natural disasters.

9. Provide more food resources.

10. Provide more medical resources and pharmaceutical drugs.

11. Offer environments for recreation and tourism.

FUNCTIONS OF BIODIVERSITY

1. Maintaining balance of the ecosystem.

2. Provision of biological resources.

3. Social benefits.

ROLE OF BIODIVERSITY

1. Biodiversity and food.

2. Biodiversity and human health.

3. Biodiversity and industry.

4. Biodiversity and culture

GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS: (GMOs) Science, Health and Politics

- any living thing that has its genetic material altered in some way through human
scientific interference
- undergo a form of gene therapy under laboratory conditions whereby segments of DNA
are spliced, rearranged, or removed altogether

DNA - Deoxyribonucleic acid - a molecule composed of two chains that coil around each other to form a
double helix carrying the genetic instructions used in the growth, development, functioning, and
reproduction of all known organisms and many viruses

Agricultural plants- one of the most frequently cited examples of genetically modified organisms

SOME BENEFITS OF GENETIC ENGINEERING IN AGRICULTURE

1. Increased crop yields

2. Reduced costs for food or drug production

3. Reduced need for pesticides

4. Enhanced nutrient composition and food quality

5. Resistance to pests and disease

6. Greater food security

7. Medical benefits to the world’s growing population

Herbicide- a substance that is toxic to plants, used to destroy unwanted

"farmers sprayed a protected wildflower meadow with herbicide“

 Herbicide - a pesticide used to kill unwanted plants.

Selective herbicides kill certain targets while leaving the desired crop relatively unharmed. Some of
these act by interfering with the growth of the weed and are often based on plant hormones.

POTENTIAL GMO APPLICATIONS

RESEARCH

 No. of microorganisms- considered as future clean fuel producers and biodegraders

 Modified plants- used to produced recombinant vaccines

 Concept of an oral vaccine expressed in plants( fruits and vegetables) for direct consumption by
individuals- possible solution to the spread of disease in undeveloped countries

 Reduced the cost associated with conducting large-scale vaccination campaigns

 Plant derived vaccine candidates in potatoes and lettuce for:

 hepatitis B Virus (HBV)

 enterotoxigenic Encherichia coli (ETEC)

 normal virus

 Production of commercially valuable proteins in plants

 spider silk protein and polymers - used in surgery or tissue replacement

XENOTRANSPLANTATION – using modified animals to grow transplant tissues and human trnasplant
organs

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