Historical Antecedents of Science and Technology PDF

# Historical Antecedents of Science and Technology ## Science and Technology in the World By the end of the topic, you should be able to: - Determine the three-age system. - Enumerate scientific and technological advancements from ancient age to date. - Discuss how these advancements affect socie...

# Historical Antecedents of Science and Technology ## Science and Technology in the World By the end of the topic, you should be able to: - Determine the three-age system. - Enumerate scientific and technological advancements from ancient age to date. - Discuss how these advancements affect society. ## Objectives By the end of the chapter, you should be able to: - Discuss the interactions between science and technology and society throughout history. - Explain how scientific and technological developments affect society and the environment. - Identify the paradigm shifts in history. ## Three-Age System Christian Jürgensen Thomsen, an archaeologist and curator of the National Museum of Denmark, classified a collection of ancient tools based on the materials they were made of. The categories of materials were: - Stone - Bronze - Iron This gave birth to the designation of three prehistorical periods: - Stone Age - Bronze Age - Iron Age ## Stone Age (2.5 MYA - 3000 BC) - During the Stone Age, the Earth was in Ice Age. - Humans lived in small nomadic groups who hunted megafauna. - This era is marked by the invention and use of stone tools in combination with wood, bone, and other materials aside from metals. - Evidences only come from unearthed artifacts and cave drawings. - Our human ancestors also transformed society from a culture of hunting and gathering to farming and food production. ### Stone Age: A Further Sub-Division - The Stone Age was further subdivided into Paleolithic and Neolithic by John Lubbock. - A transitional period between the two was also suggested by De Mortillet which is known as Mesolithic termed by John Allen Brown. ## Paleolithic Period ("Old Stone Age") - Humans were hunter-gatherers; we depend on hunting wild animals and birds as well as collecting wild fruits, nuts, and berries. - This period is further divided into Lower, Middle, and Upper Paleolithic periods, each representing a distinguishable cultural feature. ### Lower Paleolithic Period - Marked the age of human evolution with the development of simple tools such as stone choppers – believed to be made all the way back to the Australopithecus and Homo erectus. ### Middle Paleolithic Period - Neanderthals - Bone needles - Religious practices ### Upper Paleolithic Period - Homo sapiens groups - Known for communal hunting, extensive fishing, supernatural beliefs, cloth sewing, sculpture, painting, and personal ornaments from bones, horns, and ivory. #### Tools of the Paleolithic Period - They used tools made of stones, flints, bones, and even antlers. - Mostly stones, choppers, handaxe, harpoon, and needle. ## Mesolithic Period ("Middle Stone") - Ice age came to an end. - People learned to fish along rivers and lake shores, make pottery and use a bow. - "The Rise of Village-Farming Communities!" - The introduction of agriculture led to more permanent settlements. - Gradual transition from food gathering to agriculture or food production. - Microliths - smaller and more delicate stone tools for spears and arrows. ## Neolithic Period ("New Stone") - Agriculture-based development through domestication of plants and animals. - Stone tools, pottery, and weaving. - Plowing and tilling land using hand axes and adzes. - As agriculture expanded, urban civilizations rose. - The end of the stone age is marked by the introduction of metal tools. ## Bronze Age (3000 BC - 1200 BC) - It was discovered by Sumerians of Mesopotamia that they could create a harder and stronger metal by mixing copper and tin. - Tools and weapons are mostly made of bronze. - Bronze is an alloy of copper (88%) and tin (12%). - Metals are obtained from ores (a naturally occurring solid material from which a metal or valuable mineral can be extracted) through smelting. - The Bronze Age represents the time period when civilizations developed more advanced technologies. ### Notable Innovations of the Bronze Age - Ox-drawn bronze plow - Potter's wheel - Irrigation - Soap - Pyramids - Kingdoms ## Iron Age (1500 BC - 450 AD) - Bronze was still generally better than iron, the transition was mainly economical. - It began when smelting pits advanced to produce higher temperatures that could smelt iron ore. - Iron ore is much more widely distributed and readily available compared to ores of copper and tin. During war, thousands of soldiers can be equipped with iron weapons. - Eventually, iron was refined to steel which is a harder metal than bronze. This allowed production of sturdier and more reliable agricultural tools. ### Notable Innovations of the Iron Age - Coins - Agriculture, art, and religion all became more sophisticated ## Middle Ages (450 - 1450 AD) - It started from 450 AD and lasted up until 1450 AD. - It is divided into two smaller ages: Dark (450-1000 AD) and High Middle (1000-1450 AD). - Also known as Medieval age, the beginning of the Middle Ages is called the Dark Ages because the great civilizations of Rome and Greece had been conquered. ### Notable Developments during the Middle Ages - China - Acupuncture – consists of the insertion of one or several small metal needles into the skin and underlying tissues at precise points on the body. - Chinese paper-Making - Europe - Feudal system - Universities - Clock/watch - Magnetic compass - Horse-collar - Watermill and windmill - Gun powder and cannon - Printing press - Seismograph - Wheel Barrow - Gunpowder, guns, and cannon - Movable type printing - India - Information about medicine, diseases, and astronomy are gathered - A year is divided into 12 months - Solving square root and linear equations - Medicine is nature-based, not superstitious - Health and wellness depend on a delicate balance between the mind, body, and spirit - Pre-Columbian America - Christopher Columbus, an Italian master navigator, completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that opened the way for European exploration, exploitation, and colonization of the Americas. - Mayan - Pyramids, Mayan houses, Sculptures - Cocoa beans as monetary units - Solar calendar - Positions of different heavenly bodies - Inca - Farming - Chili and avocado were widely cultivated - Wool clothes - Decimal counting system - Calendar - Aztec - High temples - Decimal notations - Solar calendar ## Scientific Revolution (1440 - 1690 AD) - This period refers to the scientific intellectual achievements that led to radical changes in scientific inquiries - It started from 1440 AD to 1690 AD. - It replaced a Greek view of nature which was more philosophical than empirical - Intellectuals around the world were able to share their ideas since we already have the printing press ### Notable Contributions of the Scientific Revolution - Universe Model - by Nicholas Copernicus. - Describes the sun as the center of the universe and the earth and other planets revolved around it in circles. - Law of Planetary Motions - by Johannes Kepler. - States that all planets revolve around the sun in elliptical orbits. - Work of Motion - by Galileo Galilei. - Involves the discovery of the relations among distance, velocity, acceleration, and the law of inertia. - Law of Motion - by Isaac Newton. - Describes the fundamental principles of physics. ## Industrial Revolution (1750 – 1895) - Covers the complex technological innovations that led to the substitution of machines and inanimate power for human skill and human and animal forces, respectively. - This revolution started in Great Britain. - Manufacture of goods moved from small shops and homes to large factories. - Changes in culture as people moved from rural areas to big cities in order to work. ### Notable Advancements during the Industrial Revolution - Textile - Fly-shuttle - Water Frame - Rude power loom - Cotton gin (cotton engine) - Coal, iron, and steel - Use of coke for iron smelting - Blast furnace - Manufacturing cylinder methods - Transportation - Mile-long canals - Steam boat and ship - Macadamizing - Steam locomotive with steam blast - Communication - Electric telegraph - Telephone - Radio - Lighting - Gas lighting - Bunsen Burner - Electric Light - Agriculture - Seed drill - Stock breeding ## 18th to 19th Century - The connection between science and technology was very minimal. - It shifted during the 19th century when science, technology, and industry united at a common ground and cause. ### Notable Advancements during the 18th to 19th Century - Physics - Law on electrostatic interaction and frictional electrostatic instrumentation - Cell or battery - Idea that electricity generates magnetism - Ampere’s Law - Measurement of the Earth’s magnetism - Discovery of X-rays - Biology - Discovery of cell - Observation and discovery of microorganisms - Binomial nomenclature - Discovered the fossil of Ichthyosaur fossils - Comparative anatomy - Vaccines - Chemistry - First mercury thermometer - Negative and positive charges - Combustion experiments - Idea that oxygen combustion produces water - Atomic theory - Discovery of electron - Discovery of new elements ## 20th Century to Date - During this era, science and technology had structurally and methodologically changed. - Number of scientific theories were introduced and had influenced technological works in this century. ### Notable Advancements During the 20th Century to date - Theory of relativity by Albert Einstein. - Discovery of proton, neutron, nuclear fission. - First walk on the moon. - Discovery of Pluto. - DNA structure. - Genetic engineering. - Cloning (dolly) - Dolly was a female Finn-Dorset sheep and the first mammal that was cloned from an adult somatic cell. ### Notable Inventions During the 20th Century to date - Biogas, DNA fingerprinting, gene cloning. - AM Radio, cellular phone, fiber optics. - Neon light, nuclear energy, solar power. - Army tank, atomic bombs, neutron bombs. - Animation, colored TV, CD, VHS, video games. - Calculator, computer, internet. - Test tube baby - babies conceived as the result of IVF or in vitro fertilization. - Airplanes, helicopters, spacecraft. - Artificial heart and kidney. ## Information Age - Information - knowledge communicated or received concerning a particular fact or circumstance. ## Johannes Gutenberg - The introduction of printing press was revolutionary to the Renaissance – revival of Classical learning and wisdom. - He introduced letter-pressed printing or “movable type printing” to Europe (year 1455). - "Gutenberg Principle" - Mass distribution of information is possible but expensive. ### Pre-Gutenberg World - It wasn’t possible to distribute precise information to a large number of people. ### Gutenberg Revolution - Books were printed and replicated with the use of the presses. - These books were called incunabula (cradle or birthplace). - Passing of information became easier. ### Post-Gutenberg World - The internet and worldwide web emerged. - We can now upload and download any media we could think of - audio, video, image. - Not only is information easier, it is also faster. ## The Rise of Digital Age - The rise of modern technology away from the printing press - it includes computers, cellphones, digital cameras etc that are now readily available to pass information. ## Computers - Discovered by Charles Babbage (1822). - "Father of computers". - He was the first to invent the Analytical Engine - automatic computing engine. ## Computers Are Now Much More Than a Computing Engine - What is your favorite thing about the internet? ## Asynchronous Task #2 Create a **Concept Map** about some of the technologies and innovations from Ancient Ages up to Rise of Digital Age - **Done by group.** - **Be creative!**