G.

Scientific Revolution in Africa

 The applied sciences of agronomy, metallurgy, engineering and textile production

dominated the field of activity across Africa. Plants, whether in terms of legumes, grain,
vegetables, tubers, or, wild or cultivated fruits, also had medicinal implications for
Africans. Some of these such as hoodia gordonii and combrettum caffrum are being
integrated into contemporary pharmaceutical systems.
 Africa's areas of scientific investigation include the fields of astronomy, physics, and
mathematics. Laird Scranton suggests major interconnections between the thought of
the ancient Egyptians and that of the Malians of West Africa. Dogon knowledge systems
have been explored in terms of their perceptions on astronomy.
 In the field of Mathematics, Nubian builders calculated volumes of masonry and building
materials, as well as the slopes of pyramids, for construction purposes. Nubians of
Meroe, who constructed more pyramids than the Egyptians, built steep, flat-topped
pyramids.
 In the field of medicine, Common principles and procedures were hydrotherapy, heat
therapy, spinal manipulation, quarantine, bone-setting and surgery. Incantations and
other psychotherapeutic devices sometimes accompanied other techniques. Many
traditional techniques are still utilized in some areas. Others have undergone change
over time, have been revived in recent periods, or have fallen into oblivion.
 Sudanic empires of West Africa emerged in the context of various commercial routes
and activities involving the gold trade. In the North and East, Ethiopia and Sudan were
the major suppliers of gold, with Egypt a major importer. The various metal products
served a wide range of purposes, including: armor (as in some northern Nigerian city-
states), jewelry, cooking utensils, cloth dyeing, sculpture, and agricultural tools.
Blacksmiths were often associated with supernatural and psychic powers, as well as
technical know-how and expertise of blacksmiths.
 In various parts of ancient, medieval, and contemporary Africa, building constructions of
various dimensions, shapes, and types emerged. Builders integrated the concepts of the
arch, the dome, and columns and aisles in their constructions. In the Sahelian region,
adobe, or dried clay, was preferred in the context of moulded contours. The principle of
evaporative cooling was integrated into building design.
H. Information Revolution

 Information revolution is a period of change that describes current economic, social and
technological trends beyond the Industrial Revolution. The information revolution was
fueled by advances in semiconductor technology.
 Information revolution might prove as significant to the lives of people. Computer
technology is at the root of this change, and continuing advancements in that technology
seem to ensure that this revolution would touch the lives of people.
 The information revolution led us to the age of the internet, where optical communication
networks play a key role in delivering massive amounts of data. The world has
experienced phenomenal network growth during the last decade, and further growth is
imminent.
 The first submarine cable was built in 1858 with a transmission speed of one word per
minute. We still use copper to power submarine repeaters, and have added optical fibers
during the last decade of the last century. We encode information into phase,
 polarization, and amplitude of electromagnetic waves. Michael Faraday would be proud,
knowing that we send over 10,000,00,000,000,000 bits every second across the Atlantic
Ocean in a single strand of fiber. The first edition of Undersea Fiber Communication
Systems was published in 2002.
 The uniqueness of this engineering marvel is a combination of information science,
nonlinear optics, electrical engineering, material science, engineering practices, project
management, marine expertise, and high reliability standard. Undersea fiber
communication systems will continue to serve society.
Impact of Information Revolution

 E-commerce is the emergence of the Internet as a major distribution channel for goods,
services, and jobs. This is profoundly changing economies, markets, and industry
structures. It will also change the way we see the world and ourselves in it.
Biotechnology and fish farming are just two of many new industries that will emerge,
writes David Frum. Frum: Fish farming may change us from hunters and gatherers on
the seas into "marine pastoralists" Other new technologies will likely appear suddenly,
leading to major new industries, he says. Few of them will come out of computer and
information technology, Frum says. He predicts that the Information Revolution will
evolve like the Industrial Revolution of the late 1800s and early 1900s, like another tech
"revolutions" since 1455.