SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY REVIEWER

Information Age GOOGLE- a search engine that listed results to reflect

- started in the last quarter of the 20th century page popularity. Launched in 1998 by Sergey Brin and
- a period when information became effortlessly Larry Page. It is now known as the world’s most popular
accessible search engine, accepting more than 200million queries
a day
Information - is knowledge communicated or obtained
concerning a specific fact or circumstance. Known Internet Personalities: Microsoft’s - Bill Gates;
Apple - Steve Jobs; Facebook - Mark Zuckerberg
“The Information Age is a true new age based upon the
interconnection of computers via telecommunications, Advantages of the Information Age
with these information systems operating on both a 1. High Data Processing Speed
real-time and as needed basis. The factors driving this 2. Automation
new age are convenience and user-friendliness which 3. Globalization
will then create user dependence” (James R. 4. Cyber Community or Virtual Community
Messenger, 1982) 5. Changed the way of doing business

In 1980s Richard Wurman called it “Information Disadvantages of the Information Age

Anxiety”. It is produced by the ever- widening gap 1. Information Overload
between what we understand and what we think we 2. Addiction to Technology
should understand. It is the black hole between data 3. Privacy and Copyright in the digital age
and knowledge, and what happens when information 4. Digital Divide
doesn’t tell us what we want or need to know.
Ethical Issues for the Information Age
In 1990s information became the currency in the 1. Privacy
business world. Information was the preferred medium 2. Accuracy
of exchange. 3. Intellectual property
4. Accessibility of information
Fields of discipline that merged because of Information
Age Cyberbullying/ Cyber-harassment (online bullying) - a
- AI form of bullying or harassment using electronic means.
- Cloud and Edge Computing
- Machine Learning Fake News – a false or misleading information
- Automation presented as news. Aim to damage the reputation of a
- Communication and Networking person or entity, or making money through advertising
- Robotics revenue.
- Outsourcing
- Software and Application
Biodiversity
Claude E. Shannon - an American mathematician who is - comprises all living forms that we see around
considered as the Father of Information Theory. us.
- vast variety of life forms in the entire Earth. It
Fiber Optic Cables - allowed for billions of bits of encompasses all kinds of life form, from the
information to be received every minute. single-celled organisms to the largest multi-
celled organisms
Microprocessors - developed so personal computers - Originates from the Greek word “BIOS” – Life
could process the incoming signals at a more rapid rate. and Latin word “VIVERSITAS” - variety or
difference - “VARIETY OF LIFE”
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- Is the variability among living organisms from all (Examples: Tropical Forests, Ponds, Prairies are
sources including terrestrial, marine, and other all ecosystems. Each one is different with its
aquatic ecosystems and the ecological own set of species living in it)
complexes of which they are part
- Forms the foundation of the vast array of *Philippines is one of the 17 mega-diverse countries in
ecosystem services that critically contribute to the world
human well-being
Importance of Biodiversity
Ecosystem  Increase ecosystem productivity
- is a geographic area where plants, animals, and  Support a larger number of plant species
other organisms, as well as weather and  Protect freshwater resources.
landscape, work together to form a bubble of  Promote soils formation and protection.
life.  Aid in breaking down pollutants.
- Contains biotic or living, parts, as well as abiotic  Contribute to climate stability.
factors, or nonliving parts.  Speed recovery from natural disasters.
- Biotic factors include plants, animals, and other  Provide more food resources.
organisms.  Provide more medicinal resources and
 pharmaceutical drugs.
Characteristics of Ecosystems:  Offer environments for recreation and tourism
- Terrestrial – forests and grassland
(tropical and temperature), tundra Threats of Biodiversity
(bitterly cold & covered with snow), 1. Climate Change
valley, dessert (temperature) 2. Habitat Loss and Degradation
- Aquatic - river, swamp, lake, sea & 3. Pollution
oceans 4. Invasive Species
5. Overexploitation
An ecosystem is made up of all the living animals and 6. Other potential threats (epidemics, Ebola virus,
plants and the non-living matter in a particular place, infectious bursal disease, flu)
like a forest or lake.
Biodiversity and Human Health
All the living things in an ecosystem depend on all  Physical
the other things - living and non-living for continued  Emotional
survival - for food supplies and other needs. “WEB OF  Intellectual
LIFE”  Spiritual
 Social
The Three Components of Biodiversity
1. Genetic Biodiversity - the variety of genes or
Health is a reliable indicator for a country’s sustainable
inheritable characteristics present in a
development. The health of the people affects economic
population. (Example: Chihuahuas, beagles and
flow and growth. (Cohabinitiative, 2010).
Rottweilers are all dogs but are not the same.)
2. Species Biodiversity - the number of different
Effects of Biodiversity
species and the relative abundance of each
 Helps secure food, health, and livelihood for
species in a biological community. (Example:
people
Monkeys, dragonflies and meadow beauties are
 serves as a rich source of materials for medical
all different species in the same).
research
3. Ecosystem Biodiversity - the variety of
ecosystems that are present in the biosphere.
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 provides abundant resources for traditional and - Example: GM Papaya or Rainbow Papaya
modern medicine known to be detrimental to papaya plants.
 helps in the control and prevention of infectious - Herbicide Tolerance
diseases - Example: Roundup Ready soybean.
 serves important roles for the communities’ - Fortification
cultural, spiritual and social growth - Example: Golden Rice. Pampatibay. Plants
 relief and recovery efforts fortified with some minerals.

97% - Salt water

3% - Fresh water – 0.26% - support humans

Desalination – salt water -> fresh water

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)

- Is a living organism particularly animal, plant, or
microbe whose DNA has been transformed or
changed through genetic engineering
techniques.
- promise solutions to ease some of the world’s
problems including food security, food safety,
and environmental pollution and degradation.
Genetically modified plants are produced to improve
Selective Breathing – slow, imprecise, low mass nutritional quality of naturally growing plants.
production, natual
GMO – fast, precise, high mass production, not natural Uses LABORATORY TECHNIQUES

Three Common Characteristics (GMO crops) Non-food GMO’s

1. Resistance to damage from insects 1. Flower production
2. Resistance to plant viruses - Seen in modified color and extended vase
3. Tolerance to herbicides life of flowers. Examples are blue roses
which consisted of cyanidin, diglucoside and
Identifying DNA flavonols.
 Isolates 2. Paper production
 Sequence - Example: poplar trees - are designed to be
 Manipulate easier to break down in order to produce
 Replicate paper and biofuels than normal trees are.
3. Pharmaceutical productions
GMOs in Food & Agricultural Products - Examples: periwinkle plants. Bacterial
- Pest Resistance genes were added to the periwinkle plants
- Example: Bt Corn (Bacillus thuringiensis) - a to enhance production of vinblastine.
soil bacterium that produces proteins and 4. GMOs in the medical field
toxic to corn borers (worms). Insect, Soil - helps in the production of drugs, gene
Bacterium therapy and laboratory researches
- Virus Resistance - Example: Humulin - a genetically
engineered insulin used by Type 1 diabetes
dependent on insulin
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Gene Therapy
- is one of the modern attempts to reduce the
negative clinical consequences of genetic
diseases.
- (Also called human gene transfer) is a medical
field which focuses on the utilization of the
therapeutic delivery of nucleic acids into a
patient's cells as a drug to treat disease
- It involves the manipulation of genes to fight or
prevent diseases.
- It introduces a “good” gene into the person who
has a disease caused by a “bad” gene
- a technique that modifies a person’s genes to
treat or cure disease. Gene therapies can work 2. Germline gene therapy - transfer of a section of
by several mechanism. DNA to cells that produce eggs or sperm. Effects
of gene therapy will be passed onto the
Gene Therapy products are being studied to treat patient’s children and subsequent generations.
diseases including cancer, genetic diseases, heart
disease, diabetes, hemophilia and AIDS and infectious
diseases; including

 Plasmid DNA- circular DNA molecules that can

be engineered genetically to bring therapeutic
genes into human cells.

Two Types of Gene Therapy

1. Somatic gene therapy - transfer of a section of
DNA to any cell of the body. Effects of gene
therapy will not be passed onto the patient’s
children.

Nanotechnology
- Nano came from the Greek word “nanos” which
means dwarf. Nanotechnology (also sometimes
called molecular manufacturing), is the design,
production and application of structures,
devices and systems at the nanoscale, which is
about 1 to 100 nanometers.

History

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- have been used by humans in the fourth
century AD, by the Romans. Disadvantages of Nanotechnology
- The Lycurgus cup, from the British Museum  Loss of jobs (manufacturing, farming)
collection, represents one of the most  Atomic weapons
outstanding achievements in the ancient glass  Health and safety issues: can cause serious
industry. It is the oldest famous example of illness or damage to human body
dichroic glass. Dichroic glass describes two  Mass production in food and consumables, oil
different types of glass, which change color in and diamonds could become worthless
certain lighting conditions. The glass appears  Creates social strife through increasing wealth
green in direct light, and red-purple when light gap
shines through the glass.  Nano pollution being created by toxic waste

Richard Feynman Ethical Issues of Nanotechnology

- The Father of Nanotechnology - served as a  Nanotechnology will give us more "god-like"
professor of physics at Caltech from 1950 until powers
his death in 1988.  It has to potential to eliminate other ethical
- In 1965, he shared the Nobel Prize in Physics issues (e.g. assembling beef instead of
with Julian Schwinger and Sin-Itiro Tomonaga - slaughtering cows, constructing cells rather
the three each created new mathematical tools than getting them from reproduction, etc...)
for a theory called  May lead to undetectable surveillance, Right to
- Quantum electrodynamics, which describes Privacy could be jeopardized
how subatomic particles interact with light.
- Feynman's method, which includes his famous Electrical, Chemical, Optica, Physical, Mechanical
Feynman diagrams - the most important tools Properties
in calculating the expected outcome of high
energy interactions between subatomic
particles. Feynman is also credited with Climate Change
presaging quantum computing and - refers to a long-term shift in global or regional
nanotechnology. climate patterns. Refers specifically to the rise in
global temperatures from the mid- 20th century
Nanoscience to present.
- is the study of structures and materials on an
ultrasmall scale, and the unique and interesting Causes of Climate Change
properties these materials demonstrate. Cross- 1. Natural - Volcanic Eruptions, Ocean currents,
disciplinary Earth’s Orbital Change, Solar Variation.
2. Human - Greenhouse Gases, Deforestation,
A nanometer is a billionth of a meter Coal Mining, Burning of fossil Fuels, Industrial
Benefits of Nanotechnology Processes, Agriculture.
 Food security
 Medicine Primary Sources of Green House Gases
 Energy  Electricity Production
 Automotive  Transportation
 Environment  Industry
 Electronics  Commercial & Residential
 Textiles  Agriculture
 Cosmetics  Land Use & Forestry
 Industrial benefits
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 Underlying Causes - Combined – typhoon, hurricane
o Age 2. Hydrologic – La Niña, flashflood, tsunami
o Poverty 3. Geologic – earthquake, landslide, mudslide
o Illnesses/ diseases 4. Biologic – epidemic (sore eyes), hanging amihan
 Dynamic Pressure 5. Technological – fog (natural), sandstorm, smoke
o Uncontrolled development
o Environmental degradation Quasi-natural Hazard
 Unsafe Condition - Fog + smoke = SMUG

Effects of Climate Change

Troposphere – 90 – 100% - ozone layer – bad ozone

Stratosphere – good ozone

Impact of Climate Change in the Philippines

 Water Resources Forestry
 Agriculture Coastal
 Resources Health

Hazard + Vulnerability = Disaster

Hazard – future source of potential danger

 People
 Human act
 Environment - pollution
 Property

Primary Hazard
1. Atmospheric – single or combined element
- Single – thunderstorm, excess rainfall
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