Science, Technology, and Society Socio-emotional Skills - Learners have a sense

Prelims Review of belonging to a common humanity, sharing

- Interactions between science and technology
and social, cultural, political, and economic
contexts which shape and are shaped by them;
specific examples throughout human history of
scientific, and technological developments.”
CHEd CMO 20 s. 2013
values and responsibilities and holding rights.
- Learners show empathy,
solidarity and respect for differences and
diversity.
Behavioral Skills - Learners act effectively and
responsibly at local, national and global
contexts for a more peaceful and sustainable
world.

“In the face of an alarming trend toward

discrediting scientific consensus and restricting
scientific discovery, we might ask instead: can
we afford not to speak out in its defense?"

Global Citizenship (GC) & Global Citizenship

Education (GCED)

● GC described: “a sense of belonging to a

broader community, beyond national
boundaries, that emphasizes our common
humanity and draws on the interconnectedness
between the local and the global, the national
and the international.” (UNESCO, 2014)

● GCED’s 4 pillars: “learning to know”,

“learning to do”, “learning to be”, “learning to Something to ponder…
live together” (UNESCO, 1996). What is the purpose of our life in this world?
Why are we here?
What is the goal of our work and all our efforts?
GCED & Education for Sustainable What need does the earth have of us?
Development (ESD) (UNESCO, 2013)

Key conceptual dimensions of GCED and ESD 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by
the United Nations Member States
Cognitive skills - Learners acquire knowledge,
understanding and critical thinking about global A shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for
issues and the interconnectedness/ people and the planet.
interdependency of countries and different
populations.
An urgent call for action by all countries PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE
(developed and developing) in a global
• Philosophy means "love of wisdom."
partnership.
• It is made up of two Greek words, philo,
It is recognized that ending poverty and other
meaning love, and sophos, meaning wisdom.
deprivations must go hand-in-hand with
strategies that improve health and education, Why We Need Philosophy?
reduce inequality, and spur economic growth –
all while tackling climate change and working to • Philosophy helps teachers to reflect on key
preserve our oceans and forests. issues and concepts in education.

• usually through such questions as:

– What is being educated?
– What is the good life?
– What is knowledge?
– What is the nature of learning?
– And what is teaching?

• PHILOSOPHERS - Philosophers think about the

meaning of things and interpretation of that
meaning.

Science Philosophical Problems

Ethical (What is the nature of VALUES?)

the study of values in human behavior or the

study of moral problems: e.g., (1) the rightness
and wrongness of actions, (2) the kinds of things
which are good or desirable, and (3) whether
actions are blameworthy or praiseworthy.
Threats in achieving any goals -Explores the nature of values
Social Theories: Two Categories
Social Darwinism Ethics: study of human conduct and examines
Social Exchange Theory moral values

Aesthetics: values beauty, nature, and aesthetic

experience (often associated with music, art,
Examples of Societal Cases to be resolved by literature, dance theater and other fine arts)
STS:
Epistemological (What is the nature of
Shortage of sustainable water KNOWLEDGE?)
Illegal wildlife trade Is the study of knowledge. In particular,
epistemology focuses on how we come to
Science in the Philippines
acquire knowledge and what types of limits
there are to our knowledge. In other words,
how do we know what is true? It is sense
experience vs. reason.
- Logic is a key dimension to epistemology
Two kinds of logic
Deductive: General to specific
Inductive: Specific facts to generalization
Metaphysical (What is the nature of REALITY?)
the study of what is really real. Metaphysics
deals with the so-called first principles of the
natural order and "the ultimate generalizations
available to the human intellect.”; laws,
causation, explanation
-concerned with reality and existence
Subdivided into two categories
Ontology: What is the nature of existence
Cosmology: Origin and organization of the
universe
Key concept: Science is based on facts.
Inductivism
• Inductivism proposes and rests on a common
understanding of the laws of the universe; there
are laws of nature, uniformities that govern
these laws.
• Facts are observable, and that theories should
be derived from these facts by observation.
• Observation using the senses.
• Seeing is believing.
• Observable facts are objective.
Hypothetico-deductivism
• Rejects the context of discovery.
• asserts that “facts” are not always
observable.
• Facts have come to scientists not by
observation but rather by accident,
through dreams, visions, and
preexisting theories.
• Rejects the notion that facts are neutral and
objective.
• Theories are confirmed, not proven, yet every
instance that lends support corroborates the
theory.
Falsificationism
• Also rejects the context of discovery.
• Confirmation of hypothesis is not enough.
• No specific number of confirmations
will make any hypothesis true.
• A body of science must be falsifiable.
• The notion of scientific progress for the
falsificationist rests on the premise that
scientific theories are tentative.
Conjecture and Refutation
• Science must continue to progress through an
open quest to put existing theories to the test,
allowing preconceived notions of “facts,”
whatever they may be, up to scientific criticism
and refutation.
• Thomas Kuhn famously published The
Structures of Scientific Revolutions in
1962, a publication that brought
previous theories in the history and
philosophy of science into a whole new
context.
• Coined the term “paradigm.”
“Normal Science” versus “Revolutionary
Science”
It is in this period of revolutionary science that
theories are checked, previously held
formulations are re-analyzed and possible
refutations are generated, for a new paradigm,
or paradigm shift to occur.
Solving problems is scientific progress.
Scientific Method Internal Consistency (across items)

1) ASK A PROBLEM – problem • The consistency of the measurement

2) DEFINE PROBLEM STATEMENT – itself.
research
• Do you get the same results from
3) CONSTRUCT THE HYPOTHESIS –
different parts of an experiment that
hypothesize
are designed to measure the same
4) TEST THE HYPOTHESIS – experiment
thing?
5) COLLECT THE DATA – analyze
6) REPORT THE RESULT – interpret Interrater Reliability (across
researchers)

• The consistency of a measure across

Qualitative Data
raters or observers.
Diary accounts, in-depth interviews, documents,
• Do you get the same results when
focus groups, case study research, and
different people conduct the same
ethnography, open-ended surveys
experiment?
- Provide a deep understanding of how people
perceive their social realities, and in
consequence, how they act within the social Validity
world
Validity refers to how accurately a method
Quantitative Data measures what it is intended to measure. If
research has high validity, that means it
Laboratory and field experimentations, rating
produces results that correspond to real
scales, closed survey questions such as “Yes” or
properties, characteristics, and variations in
“No” which can have numerical categories
the physical or social world.
- Statistics help turn quantitative data into
Note: High reliability is one indicator that a
useful information that are crucial for decision
measurement is valid. If a method is not
making Scientifically objective and rational
reliable, it probably isn’t valid.

Face Validity
Reliability • the extent to which a measurement
method appears “on its face” to
Reliability refers to how consistently a method
measure the construct of interest. E.g.
measures something. If the same result can be
IQ test
consistently achieved by using the same
Construct Validity
methods under the same circumstances, the
• used to ensure that the measure is
measurement is considered reliable.
the actual measure of what it is
Test-Retest Reliability (across time) intended to measure (i.e. the
construct), and not other variables. E.g.
• The consistency of a measure across self-esteem questionnaire
time. Content Validity
• Do you get the same results when
your repeat the experiment?
 • The extent to which the measurement
covers all aspects of the concepts being
measured. E.g. Comprehension test
Criterion Validity
• The extent to which the result of a
measure corresponds to other valid
measures of the same concept. E.g.
survey
Discriminant Validity
• the extent to which scores on a
measure are not correlated with
measures of variables that are
conceptually distinct. E.g. Self-esteem
Always remember CRAAP!!!
Currency: Is the information current?
Relevance: Is the information important?
Authority: Who is the author/publisher/sponsor
of the news?
Accuracy: Is the information supported by
evidence? Does the author cite credible
sources? Is the information verifiable in other
places? Purpose: What is the purpose of this
news?
SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION THROUGHOUT THE
HISTORY OF MANKIND
Paleolithic (2M-10,000BC)
- Hand axe from Europe
- Hammerstone from Majuangou, China
- Bone Needle
Neolithic (10,000BC)
- Agriculture, society, house
- Neolithic grinding stone
- Neolithic sickle
Ancient (3000BC)
- Sumerian: Plow, Cuneiform
- Chinese: Gun powder, Great Wall, Tea & Silk
- Egyptian: Papyrus
- Romans: Codex or Books
Industrial Civilization
- Combustion engine
- Thomas Edison; phonograph
- Henry Ford; automobile
- John Hall and Bryan Dorkin; commercial
canning factory, England, 1813
- Alexander Graham Bell; telephone in 1876
- Brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright: Airplane in
1903
- Peter Durand: Tin can, 1980

The Anthropocene (Present) – the rise of the

human empire
- The era in which human activity has been the
dominant influence on climate and the Global Carbon Emissions from Fossil Fuels
environment. (1900-2014)

• Scientists in the Soviet Union appear to have

used the term “Anthropocene" as early as the
1960s to refer to the Quaternary, the most
recent geological period.
• The term was widely popularized in 2000 by
atmospheric chemist Paul J. Crutzen, who
regards the influence of human behavior on
Earth's atmosphere in recent centuries as so
significant as to constitute a new geological
time.
Plastic Use
Issues that have identified the Anthropocene: • Plastics, initially developed in the 1900s, have
grown rapidly since the 1950s, and we now
Nuclear Weapons produce 500 million tons a year.
• Warfares have left their mark on geology. • Sediments containing plastics will be a clear
• When the first nuclear weapon was detonated sign of the Anthropocene.
on 16 July 1945 in New Mexico

Fossil Fuels
• Burning fossil fuels mark Anthropocene age.
• Current rates of carbon emission are thought
to be higher than at any time in the last 65
million years.

Carbon Emissions

Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Gas
Changed Geology
• A patch of rainforest destroyed changes the
future of Earth’s geology.
• Over 50% of Earth’s land area have been
transformed for our own purpose
• Deforestation, farming, drilling, mining,
landfills, dambuilding and coastal reclamation
are all having widespread effects on
sedimentary processes.
• Disrupting how layers of rock are laid down,
which will be detectable thousands of years in
the future.
Use of Fertilizers
• Our attempts to feed an increasing population
will leave clear indicators, too.
• Levels of nitrogen and phosphorus in soils
have doubled in the last century because of our
increased use of fertilizers.
• We produce 23.5 million tons of phosphorus a
year.
• Human activity had the biggest impact on the
nitrogen cycle for 2.5 billion years.
Global Warming
• Unusually rapid increase in Earth’s average
surface temperature over the past century
primarily due to the greenhouse gases released
as people burn fossil fuels.
• Rate of temperature increase has nearly
doubled in the last 50 years.
• Average global sea levels are higher than at
any point in the past 115,000 years and are
rising rapidly, which may also be detectable in
future.
6th Mass Extinction
• The moment of extinction is generally
considered to be the death of the last individual
of the species.
• Mass extinctions sparked by massive global
changes mark the Anthropocene period.
“There are dangers, but only dangers if people
don’t understand where technology is taking
us.” -Michio Kaku
TECHNOLOGY AND THE FUTURE OF HUMANITY
“What defines a technological tool- one
historical definition- is something that takes a
human’s sense or ability and augments it and
makes it more powerful. So for example, I wear
contact lenses or glasses; that is a technology
that enhances my human ability of vision and
makes it better.”
The Essence of Technology
• Science and Technology: responsible for the
ways society is continuously being modernized.
• However, this omnipresence of S&T must not
overlap the basic tenets of ethics and morality.
Martin Heidegger (1977): The Question
Concerning Technology
- Defined technology as (1) Instrumental and
(2) Anthropological
Instrumental: Technology is a means to an end.
Technology is not an end in itself, it is a means
to an end.
- Aimed as to how things get done.
- Technology is viewed as a tool available to
individuals, groups, and communities that
desire to make an impact on society.
Anthropological: Technology is a human
activity • Human activity to achieve an end and
to produce and use a means to an end is, by
itself. • The production or invention of
technological equipment, tools and machines,
the products and inventions, and the purpose
and functions they serve are what define
technology.
Technology as a way of Revealing
• Heidegger: true can only be pursued by the
correct
-What are correct leads to what is true.
-envisioned technology as a way of revealing
“bringing forth”
Technological Advantages
• Efficiency, Time, Communication, Jobs,
Education, Transportation, Creation, Etc
The Dangers of Technology
• The sword of Damocles an analogy to
technology in a dangerous world.
• In summary, what is the story all about?
• Explain why technology in the modern world
is like the Sword of Damocles?
Sword of Damocles: “with great fortune and
power comes also great danger”
• Lies in how humans let themselves be
consumed by it.
• Humans think nature needs to be saved,
whereas mother nature would remain even if
humans cease to exist.
• We must not be consumed by technology lest
we lose the essence of who we are as humans.
Technology in a dangerous modern world with
respect to:
1. Terrorism
2. Environmental remediation
3. Socio-technical systems
4. Imagination of disaster
5. e-learning
6. e-Commerce
7. Human Trafficking and cybersex
8. Drug trafficking
9. Social Media
ADVANCEMENTS IN SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY
A. Cloning and GMOs
Biological technologies could shape the society
• Genomics & proteomics
• Biotechnology including cloning, genetic
engineering, CRISPR
• Synthetic Biology
But before you proceed, let us review the
central dogma of biology and the genetic code
table.
Central Dogma of Biology
What is DNA, RNA, and a protein molecule?
What is DNA replication? What is the purpose
of this process? What is transcription? What is
the significance of this process? What is
Translation? What is the significance of this
process?
Genomics and Proteomics
▪ Genomics - deals with the DNA sequence
organization, function, and evolution of genes.
▪ Proteomics - aims to identify all the proteins
in a cell or organism including any
posttranslational modified forms, as well as
their cellular localization, functions and
interactions.
▪ Genomics was made possible by the invention
of techniques of recombinant DNA, also known
as gene cloning or genetic engineering.
Biotechnology - The use of living organisms in
any form for the convenience of life.
Traditional Biotechnology
- Used in food preservation and
production of foods
- Fermentation-process where
microorganisms are used to produce a
product
Modern Biotechnology
- gives scientists molecular tools for
obtaining a better understanding of the
structure and function of genes in living
organisms. (GMO, animal cloning,
recombinant drugs, gene therapy, plant
hybridization, biopharming, antibody
production, stem cell therapy)

BIOTECHNOLOGY (Chapter 9- STS book-
McNamara, SJ et al.)
• The Biodiversity International has released a
module titled “Law and Policy of relevance to
the management of plant genetic resources”
(Bragdon et al., 2005) which aims to help
professionals in:
• Managing,
• Conserving, and
• Using plant genetic resources for food and
agriculture
• Biotechnology uses biological systems, living
organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or
modify products or processes for a specific use.
• Genetic engineering is a technique that allows
genes and DNA to be transferred from one
source to another.
• It leads to the production of living modified
organisms (LMOs) or genetically modified
organisms (GMOs) or obtaining a better
understanding of the structure and function of
genes in living organisms.
• Modern biotechnology gives scientists
molecular tools for obtaining a better
understanding of the structure and function of
genes in living organisms.
AIMS OF MODERN BIOTECHNOLOGY:
• Develop new precision tools and diagnostics;
• Speed up breeding gains and efficiency;
• Develop pest- and disease-resistant crops;
• Combat salinity, drought, and problems of
agriculture;
• Enhance the nutritional quality of food;
• Increase crop varieties and choice;
• Reduce inputs and production costs; and
• Increase profits (Bragdon et al., 2005)
CLONING VS GENETIC ENGINEERING
Cloning
• process by which identical copies of an
organism are made.
• The copy, or clone, possesses the same
genetic material as the original organism.
• Cloning can occur naturally through asexual
reproduction, wherein a single organism creates
a genetically identical copy of itself.
Genetic Engineering
• differs from cloning in keyways.
• Whereas cloning produces genetically exact
copies of organisms, genetic engineering refers
to processes in which scientists manipulate
genes to create purposefully different versions
of organisms—and, in some cases, entirely new
living things.
• Geneticists have even introduced genes from
one species to another.
Biotechnology via gene cloning
GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS (GMOs)
∙ Are products of artificial manipulation and
alternation of a species’ genetic material in a
laboratory using genetic engineering.
∙ Are organisms whose genetic makeup has
been modified using recombinant DNA methods
(also called gene splicing), gene modification,
or transgenic technology.
∙ Plant, animal, bacteria, and virus genes may be
combined or may be crossbred to produce
another kind of species that do not naturally
occur in the environment.
∙ Also called as transgenic organisms since the
process involves the transfer of genes. B. Medical Technologies: Targeted Medications
∙ Aims to address issues about food security,
agriculture, drug production, and nutrition. C.R.I.S.P.R. technology
∙ Herbert Boyer and Stanley Cohen - first • Means Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short
scientists to genetically modify an organism by Palindromic Repeats
combining genes from two different E. coli. • shorthand for CRISPR-CaS9
∙ Pros: • CRISPR=DNA snippets of viruses in a bacterial
✔increased crop yield DNA (new DNA becomes part of their own)
✔pest resistance • CaS 9- enzyme that acts like a pair of
∙ Cons: molecular scissors, capable of cutting strands of
✔Growing concern with how GMOs may affect DNA.
consumers’ health and the environment • Genetic engineering tool that uses a CRISPR
✔Concerns on human rights sequence of DNA and its associated protein
(Cas9) to edit the base pairs of a gene.
✔Accident in genetically engineering a virus or
• Adapted from the natural defense
bacteria may cause a serious epidemic.
mechanisms of bacteria and archaea
• Foil attacks by viruses and other foreign
∙ Humulin- first GMO approved by the Food and
bodies by chopping up and destroying the DNA
Drugs Administration (FDA), type of insulin
of a foreign invader
produced using genetically engineered E.coli
• Enable scientists to repair genetic defects
bacteria.
(genetic diseases) or use genetically modified
∙ bovine somatotropin (bST)- FDA approved
human cells as therapies.
metabolic protein hormone used to increase
milk production in dairy cows for commercial
use.
∙ Flavr Savr- FDA approved tomato for sale on
grocery stores which delays its ripening effect
and gives it a longer shelf life compared with
natural tomatoes.
∙ Bt potatoes and corn, roundup ready
soybeans
∙ Golden Rice- developed in the Philippines to
address vitamin A deficiency, which is a public
health issue in Asian countries where rice is a
staple food crop. Variety of Oryza sativa
7 Diseases that can be cured by CRISPR:
genetically modified to biosynthesize
1. Cancer
betacarotene, a precursor of Vitamin A, in the
2. Blood disorders
edible parts of rice.
3. Blindness
∙ Yorkshire pig - genetically modified to produce
4. AIDS
offspring that produce the enzyme phytase in
5. Cystic fibrosis
their saliva to digest plant phosphorus, unlike
6. Muscular dystrophy
that of normal pigs.
7. Huntington’s Disease
∙ Bt toxins in the blood of pregnant women in
eastern Quebec
Designer babies
• Is this kind of technology ethical?
▪ A baby genetically engineered in vitro for
specially selected traits or a baby whose genetic
makeup has been altered or chosen to provide
the desired genome
▪ Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis- selecting
the best egg; simplest method and used since
1988
▪ TALENS (Transcription Activator-like Effector
Nucleases)
▪ CRISPR
SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY
▪ Defined as the design and construction of new
biological parts, devices, and systems and the
re-design of existing, natural biological systems
for useful purposes.
▪ Engineer’s approach to biology
Coronavirus testing basics
•According to US Food and Drug
Administration,
Types of Tests
There are two different types of tests –
diagnostic tests and antibody tests.
1. Diagnostic test- show if you have an active
coronavirus infection and should take steps to
quarantine or isolate yourself from others.
• molecular tests, such as RT-PCR tests, that
detect the virus’s genetic material
• antigen tests that detect specific proteins on
the surface of the virus.
2. Antibody test- looks for antibodies that are
made by your immune system in response to a
threat, such as a specific virus. Antibodies can
help fight infections. Antibodies can take
several days or weeks to develop after you have
an infection and may stay in your blood for
several weeks or more after recovery. Because
of this, antibody tests should not be used to
diagnose an active coronavirus infection.