Scientists' inventions and scientific advances often make life easier for ordinary people. Mobile phones, radio, the internet, various features in cars… The list is endless. But is it always beneficial? Already, there's widespread talk of harmful radiation from cell phones and the mental health problems children experience from online games. It's quite possible that in a few decades, we'll truly learn the value of all these newfangled gadgets—how dangerous they are to our health, and whether we're willing to pay that price for simplifying our lives.
Scientific and technological progress, as a process, is the true driving force of humanity. This term first appeared in the 19th century. Many historians believe it ended with the outbreak of World War I, although some argue that scientific and technological progress continues to this day. Any type of progress, including scientific progress, has two directions: evolutionary and revolutionary.
Evolutionary progress is the gradual and slow development of various inventions. Revolutionary progress, on the other hand, involves the rapid introduction of new technologies. Mobile phones provide a perfect example of both types of progress. The advent of cellular communication can be considered revolutionary progress, while the transition from push-button and black-and-white mobile phones to touchscreen and color phones is evolutionary. However, the emergence of mobile phones can also be considered evolutionary progress: the telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876. The range of this “talking telegraph” did not exceed five hundred meters. Today, Bell's telegraph, gradually modernized, is no larger than the palm of your hand and allows communication with people anywhere in the world.
Just recently, the world was rocked by the arrival of a new technology: the 3D printer, or, as it's also known, a 3D printer. Getting your hands on one isn't easy—they start at 90,000 rubles. However, soon, anyone will be able to afford one. It can be used to print anything, from a simple ballpoint pen to a tank.
For example, Christoph Zollikofer, an anthropologist at the Royal University of London, printed out the skull of a newborn Neanderthal. Using this model, he was able to reconstruct the pelvic girdle of a Neanderthal woman, allowing him to “view” the birth process of these women. This refuted the hypothesis that childbirth was easier for female human ancestors than for modern women. A number of scientists supported this hypothesis, based on knowledge of the size of the Neanderthal pelvis—the pelvic girdle of ancient women was larger. However, the newborn's head was also much larger than that of modern babies. This led the scientists to the following conclusion: childbirth has always been a rather difficult physiological process for women.
Unfortunately, not all 3D printer buyers have good intentions. Some may use the 3D printer to produce weapons. Schematics for printing certain pistols, rifles, and revolvers are already available online. Of course, even printing weapons can be punishable. Russian law stipulates Article 223 of the Criminal Code for such actions.
The danger of scientific and technological progress also lies in the creation of new types of weapons, such as nuclear weapons. The atomic bombs dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 killed people and animals within a radius of almost one kilometer from the epicenter. Only 12% of buildings in the entire city remained intact, and numerous fires spread quickly. The consequences of this monstrous catastrophe were a huge death toll: according to various estimates, by the end of 1945, the death toll was between 60,000 and 80,000; by 1950, it was over 140,000.
When discussing nuclear potential, one cannot help but recall Chernobyl. A terrible tragedy that affected over 600,000 people. But Chernobyl is not the only radiation accident. More than 30 cases of radioactive releases into the atmosphere and contamination of water and soil have been recorded worldwide. The most recent occurred in Japan in 2011. An earthquake, tsunami, and construction errors resulted in accidents at the highest level on the International Nuclear Event Scale. The consequences of the accident are still being addressed. Japanese scientists believe that background radiation levels in the area surrounding the nuclear power plant have become comparable to natural levels, but no one knows whether this is actually true.
Despite this, there is some good news in the world of science. For example, medicine is advancing by leaps and bounds. Things that were the stuff of science fiction in the twentieth century, such as cloning and skin grafts, have become reality. Women who are unable to conceive on their own can still experience the joys of motherhood, and plastic surgeons are tirelessly correcting post-operative faces and making people's bodies more attractive. Today, doctors have control over many diseases that used to kill people.
But there are things that humans still can't overcome: cancer and AIDS. Of course, there are still many poorly understood and debilitating diseases and abnormalities, but cancer and AIDS are the most common. Ten million cancer patients are registered worldwide annually, with 27,000 new cases registered daily. There are currently over 1.5 million AIDS patients in Russia. The number of patients continues to grow every day, but medicine remains powerless… And while HIV infection can be prevented, no one is immune from cancer.
Society is undergoing significant changes due to the rapid development of science and technology. Consumer culture is beginning to spread en masse. Of course, this problem is not new, but psychologists are astonished not by the specifics of culture, but by the extreme speed of progress in satisfying human needs. Historians' research helps us trace how culture reached its current level, but today it is increasingly becoming a source of heuristics for scientific and technological policy.
