THE INFORMATION AGE

The Information Age (1973-2003)

-The focus of S&T and society became “information” itself (handling and conveying it)
- Progress in electronics and computers caused information to be one of the most
important commodities
- Advances in biology
✓Genetics – revolution in information science (recombinant DNA)
✓The immune system – also an information processing system

Information & globalization

-Communication worldwide became cheap (with new phone systems and Internet)
-Changed the way people work
✓Information-based work
✓Business trends
✓Global banking
✓Scientific enterprise/research

Problems with Information age

-Infringement of personal privacy
-Excessive use of computers in teaching young children may impoverish the
development of intellectual capabilities
✓“Knowledge” is replaced by mere “data”
✓Ideas contain data, but data contain no ideas
History of Information
- “in form” – what we are “What makes a tree a tree? And not cement?”
-For 2000 years, explanation/answers were based on the head (natural
philosophy/reason)
-Oral tradition – fascination with sounds and words
-Print and written culture – printing press
-DARPA (Defense Advanced Research projects Agency) during WW2
“If war is in space, what if satellites are down?”
-Developed ground-based communication, giving rise to Internet
-Alan Turing broke the Nazi code
-Developed the concept of computers

Artificial intelligence
-use of machines to imitate the way humans think and behave
-replicate in a computer the actions and functions of biological neurons found in the
human body
-Watch these videos:
-Logic by Machine (1962) Logic by Machine (1962) - YouTube
-Artificial Intelligence (2001)

NANOTECHNOLOGY

What is Nanotechnology?
-Convergence of science, technology, and engineering where the observation,
characterization, design, and controlled fabrication of materials and devices are at the
scale of less than 100 nanometers (1 nanometer = 10^9 m= 0.000 000 001 m)

Nanotechnology is already making today’s products:

1. Lighter
2. Stronger 4. Smaller
3. Faster 5. More durable
Approaches to Nanotechnology
1. Top-down approach – Bulk materials are broken down into smaller and smaller
particles (Norio Taniguchi)
2. Bottom-up approach – Nanoparticles are built up an atom/molecule at a time
(Richard Feynman)
Impact of Nanotechnology
❖ Health
-Nanotechnology is evolving rapidly in industrial applications, medical imaging,disease
diagnosis, drug delivery, cancer treatment, and gene therapy, and also to aid in visual
imaging. Many fine particles currently considered harmless are likely to acquire unique
properties when reduced to a nano molecular size and could exhibit toxic biological
effects.
-POSITIVE IMPACT:
There are many unique health benefits of nanoparticles;molecular
imaging uses nanoparticles which help to detect, quantify, and display molecular
and cellular changes that happen in vitro and in vivo.
In vivo, nanoparticles can be used as probes by attaching them to
molecules of proteins, antibodies, and nucleic acids.
An exciting potential use of nanoparticles in cancer treatments is the
exploration of tumor-specific thermal scalpels to heat and burn tumors.
Gold and silver nanoparticless have strong antifungal, antibacterial and
anti-inflammatory properties and are used in anti-wrinkle creams, deodorants and
burn medications.
-NEGATIVE IMPACT:
-NANO PARTICLE TOXICITY IS IMPACTED BY THEIR SURFACE
CHARACTERISTICS, C O A T ING , STRUCTURE , SIZE, AND ABILITY FOR
AGGREGATION. P O O R S O LUB I L I TY O F NANOPARTICLES CAN LEAD
TO CANCER .
-THE NANOPARTICLES CAN ENTER THE BODY THROUGH MANY
ROUTES; DERMA LLY, BY INGESTION, INHALATION, INJECTION OR BY
IMPLANTATION. NANOPARTICLES CAN STIMULATE THE NEURONS IN THE
LUNG AFFECTING THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM AND
CARDIOVASCULAR AUTONOMIC FUNCTION.
❖ Environment
-Positive Impact:
1.Water quality can be improved.Nanomaterials such as carbon
nanotubes (CNTs), zeolites,nanoparticles of zero valent iron can be used for
water remediation. Titanium dioxide and tungsten oxide serve as a photocatalyst
that can oxidize organic pollutants into harmless materials. Moreover, a new
technology known as nanofiltration is also used in water treatment in homes,
offices, and industries.
2. Discharge of hazardous chemicals in water bodies Nanofabric paper
towels made of tiny wires of potassium manganese oxide that can absorb oil 20
times its weight has been developed in the US. This filters the unwanted
chemicals from the water. Thus, nanotechnology provides a solution to clean the
contaminated water.
3. Toxic gases in the air can be cleaned. Cantilever sensors have been
developed to sense VOCs, heavy metals and pesticides. A mixture of CNTs with
gold particles help absorb toxic gases like NOx, SO2 and CO2. In addition,
nanomaterial manganese oxide has also better absorption of toxic gases due to
its large surface area.

-Negative Impact: (Nanopollution)

-The environment will be increasingly prone to suffer pollution from
nanomaterials such as sunscreens, detergents, and cosmetics.
-Pollutions could also be from the accidental releases during
production, transportation, and disposal operations.
-Wastes are also generated during the manufacturing process of
nanomaterials
-Synthesizing nanoparticles requires high energy that causes high
energy demand.
-Problems in the recyclability and sustainability of manufactured
nanoparticles.

❖ Economy
-Positive Impact:
-Nanotechnology can boost the economic growth as well as improve the
capacity and quality in industrial sectors
-Nanotechnology will facilitate greener and more sustainable economic
growth
-Nanotechnology in the textile industry: Nanotechnology is applied in the
textile industry due to the increased durability of fabrics, comfortless, hygienic
properties and reduced production cost. (Singh, N.2017).
-Nanotechnology in the oil industry: Nanotubes have been used to create
lighter, stronger and more corrosion-resistant structural materials in the oil
industry. Nanotechnology could help improve oil and gas production by making it
easier to separate oil and gas in the reservoir. (Singh, N. 2017).
 -Negative Impact:
-Loss of business: Although products made possible by nanotechnology
will initially be expensive luxury or specialist items,once availability increases,
more and more markets will feel the impact. Some technologies and materials
may become obsolete, leading to companies specializing in those areas going
out of business.
-Loss of employment: Nanotechnology would lead to high unemployment
as most people in the manufacturing, food, and agriculture sectors would end up
losing their jobs. The use of nanobots would replace the need for human Labor.
-High costs of research, production, maintenance, and advancement
would be a must for the success of nanotechnology hence presenting a
challenge.
-Technological concerns: High technology advancements and operations
are subject to the same drawbacks as any computing system. Nanotech would
also face the risk of hacking. This occurrence may lead to company secrets being
exposed, and normal manufacturing operations interfered.

❖ Ethics
-Role of Ethics:
-Given this, the roles of ethics within responsible development of
nanotechnology include:
-Elucidating what constitutes justice, human flourishing and sustainability.
-Identifying opportunities for nanotechnology to accomplish the goal and
anticipating impediments to it doing so,
-Developing standards for assessing prospective nanotechnologies.
-Providing ethical capacity (i.e., tools and resources that assist individuals
and organizations to make ethically informed decisions) to enable society
to adapt effectively to emerging nanotechnologies; and
-Identifying limits on how the goal ought to be pursued.
-Negative Impact:
-Contested Moral Issues: Contested moral issues arise from
nanotechnology’s interaction with or instantiation of morally controversial
practices or activities-i.e., those that a substantial number of citizens believe
should be prohibited.
-Social Context Issues: Social context issues arise from the interaction of
nanotechnology with problematic features of the social or institutional contexts
into which the nanotechnologies are emerging.
-Form of Life Issues: Form of life issues arise from nanotechnology’s
synergetic impacts on aspects of the human situation on which social standards,
practices and institutions are predicated.
-Privacy issues: Nanotechnology may lead to undetectable surveillance.
 BIODIVERSITY
-Variability in life forms within and between species in an ecosystem

CLIMATE CHANGE
Weather
-Short term changes in atmospheric variables such as temperature and rainfall.
-Natures way of balancing forces in the atmosphere.
Climate
-Long term state of atmospheric variables like rainfall and temperature
-The average weather pattern over a longer period of time.
Climate change (Global Warming)
-A significant change in weather patterns.
-When you put it in the perspective of a longer period of time you find it has happened
many times before.
Global climate System

Causes Of Climate Change:

Greenhouse Gases( has warming effect)
-Left in the atmosphere for 100 years
Particles(has cooling effect)
-Left in the atmosphere for 1 week

Greenhouse Gases
- Acts like a glass
- Its role is to trap infrared heat energy trying to escape back to space.
- Includes water vapor,carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone.