UNIT III: Specific Issues in Science, Technology, and Society

Chapter 6: The Advancement of Information and their standard of living and create new opportunities for
Communication Technology growth and development.

The world is changing and the society landscape Stages of Evolution of ICT
is also changing with it. When a person is not changing
or be willing to adapt to changes, surely that person will According to the International
be isolated or left behind and not be able to relate. The Telecommunication Union, as telecommunication
world is becoming a dynamic environment thereby system evolved over a period of time, the inventors
society must adapt to the new and ever changing along with the scientists and engineers used computing
processes that are happening at an increasing speed. technology in switching nodes and non-switching nodes
This is not just in human flourishing but also in supporting services. With mobile communications, the
developmental economics, political, and cultural aspect amount of information processing required to manage
of good life. mobility and services has increased enormously which
resulted in a tremendous increase in computer
The information and communication technology communications with the telecommunication
is a catalyst of globalization that has much impact on environment. The enormous increase in the capabilities
the society and environment. The process of and number of personal computers brought changes by
globalization has been around for centuries, but it has creating the Internet. It has combined information and
become more pronounced and noticeable in the early communication moving from catalogue to digital, and
1900s with the advancement of science and technology. then to packet technologies. Today, the internet
The telegraph and telephone allowed people to emerged to be the dominant data communication
communicate across borders in seconds. The invention system. Initially, data was handled by making it look like
of the airplane allowed for quicker international travel. voice modems to voice over IP or VoIP. It remains
The radio allowed people all over the globe to dominant revenue operator as it manages the
simultaneously listen to worldwide news. These enormous shifts in the nature and volume of traffic it
technological advances are the major stepping stones to carries in the networks. The ICT capabilities vary widely.
our current state of the good life leading to a collective It is widespread in developed countries and less
worldwide integration and expansion. available in under developing countries. However, the
developing countries are catching up quickly by
ICT and Globalization leapfrogging older generations of technology and as
well as creating solutions that suit the needs of their
As defined by the International community users.
Telecommunication Union (ITU), Information and
Communication Technology (ICT) is used to describe Undeniably, ICT is evolving at a rapid pace over
technologies manipulating and communicating the years. The grandparents of today’s generation grew
information. With the Internet, telecommunications, up in a society with no telephone, only radio. Television
broadband, cell phone, wireless mobile, and other was the last source of information. Today, the modern
communication technologies enable geographically generation lives in a world of internet and wireless
dispersed workers to interact and collaborate globally. phones. The world around has changed dramatically
Globalization has completely altered the way in which over the years and these changes are brought by the
the world operates. The barriers that once hindered advancement of science and technology.
individual’s ability to communicate and interact with
people across the world have been diminished. According to the Commonwealth of Learning
and the Karnataka State Open University (2016), the
All through the years of science and technology, evolution of ICT can be traced and it is as follows:
the speed of ICT has increased rapidly with the process
of globalization. The merger of the Global South and the Phase I is identified with the creation of
Global North have a profound effect on culture, society, electromagnetic calculator during the World War II,
economics, social life and politics moving towards the weighing about 5 tons. The invention of transistors in
21st century. The integration and expansion of markets 1947 led to the development of smaller but versatile
globally have helped the developing countries increase computers.
 UNIT III: Specific Issues in Science, Technology, and Society

Phase II is associated with the development of dial-up modem where users could connect to a phone
personal computers in 1970s. The development of chip line and send emails through the service providers. But
technology and manufacturing of magnetic disc when people started combining the PC, fax, and dial up
transformed huge computers into desktops which are modems together, they created a new platform that
now called personal computers. started a global information revolution which gave
individuals and societies both the access and extent.
Phase III is related to the development of They can now distribute information in so many
microprocessors, a multipurpose, programmable device different ways and send their information to many more
that accepts digital data as input. It processes according people around the world.
to instructions stored in its memory that provides, as a
result an output. Microprocessors reduced the cost of The invention of the World Wide Web. The
processing power. invention of the WWW made the internet more useful
to individuals and societies. It created a link between
Phase IV is about networking. It started from the computer and the internet. Presently, it gives
connecting computers within a small geographic area individuals the access to post their own digital content
for the field of “Defense and Education”. Connecting the for everyone across the globe to see. The use of
computers worldwide resulted to the so called, internet accelerates the pace of globalization by simply
“Internet” which is the landmark of development in the sharing knowledge and information almost
field of ICT. This resulted to the breaking of distance instantaneously around the world. For the users to have
barrier across the globe creating the global village. a common way of viewing the web, “Netscape” created
Social networking is a by-product of internet which a browser that made the internet accessible to all. It
introduced the broadband. also gave everyone a common way of assessing, and
sharing information and digital content. Today, anyone
Phase V is related to the development of wireless can communicate to people all over the world.
technology which started with the invention of the
mobile phone. The initial mobile phone was large and Fiber-Optic Cables. The first optic cable system
bulky; the reduction of its size has greatly expanded the was made of pure glass arranged in bundles that could
range of its functions. Today, mobile phone is used for be used to carry digitalized packet of information. It has
talking, texting, taking pictures, listening to music, much higher bandwidth signal capacity than other types
browsing, navigating, and viewing. Added to that latest of transmission cables. “Telecom” companies invested a
technology is the satellite phone which allowed people huge amount of money for fiber-optic cables to increase
to get connected even in the absence of telephone and speed and bandwidth power. These advances in ICT
cell phone. made digital content and information transmission
cheaper and easy to access across the globe.
Advancement of ICT
Creation of Work Flow Software. Work Flow
Information and communication technology is Software is a software package that automates data
the driver in creating the worldwide integration and procedures and passes along workflows like documents,
expansion of various global markets building up information, and other tasks form one employer to
globalization. For over 50 years, there are selected another conveniently. This enables the employees to
number of advances in information and communication collaborate, manage, and design data that had
that truly had a monumental impact on the progress of previously handled manually. The combination of PC
globalization and its relationship to science, technology, and e-mail work flow became so easy, effective, and
and society. These are as follows: quicker. Utilizing new work flow software along with the
development of transmission protocols made
Rise of the Personal Computer. The rise of the transactions fast, effective, and cost efficient. People
window-based PC has eliminated important barriers can now communicate with all people globally.
that restricted the process of globalization. This has
popularized the personal computer. The PC allowed
individuals to author and share their own digital
content. The PC was soon followed the invention of the
 UNIT III: Specific Issues in Science, Technology, and Society

Open-Sourcing. One of the most successful The never ending evolution and technological
open-source tools is the “Apache”, a web server owned adaptation is driving and transforming individuals and
by International Business Machines (IBM) Corporation societies day to day.
which has a power nearly 2/3 of all websites in the
globe. Resulting to accessibility of everyone around the
world to download software for free. All they have to do Chapter 7: Biodiversity, the Healthy Society, and the
is to redistribute it back and make it available for others Debatable Issues of the 21st Century
to use.
Good Health is a condition of being away from
Supply Chaining. This is a method of integrating illness and diseases not just physically but also
horizontally between suppliers, retailers, and emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Having good
customers. SM and Watson department stores are the health is dependent on many factors including
perfect examples of supply chaining. Normally, a economic status and environmental conditions. Health
customer picks up an item from the shelf and goes to is an indicator of sustainable development and the most
the cashier to pay. As soon as the cashier scans it, a basic human right. Biodiversity refers to the variety of
signal is sent to the supplier of the product regardless of life forms, not just rare and endangered forms of life,
wherever the location is. The supplier can monitor the nor just big and attractive animals and plants. It includes
stock balance of products before they run out. The every living thing- the common, the ordinary, the ugly,
supplier will then prepare for the next shipment of and even those organisms invisible to the naked eye. It
supply for SM and Watson to sell. This eliminates also refers to more than individual specie. It includes
border frictions, helps companies build their supply the genes they contain, and the ecosystem and habitats
chains while getting the best suppliers at a lowest- of which they are part of. Biodiversity is the foundation
possible prices. of human health. The conservation and sustainable use
of biodiversity can provide significant benefit to health.
Digital, Mobile, Personal and Virtual
Movement. Recently, the world has been startled with The relationship between biodiversity and
digital cameras, mobile PDA’s, cell phones, and personal human health is extensive and complex simply because
laptops. These technological advances had put the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity
globalization in progress with an unprecedented speed. have positive impacts on human health. The continuing
Nowadays, people are able to collaborate with one loss of biodiversity on global scale represents a direct
another more frequently in so many ways than before. threat to health and well-being. A healthy global
Technology allows people to communicate instantly environment is capable of supporting a diversity of life.
through text, email, teleconferencing, chats, messenger, (World Health Organization, 2010).
Skype. Today, email, chat, and Skype are virtually free,
and it has affected individuals, society, and Biodiversity is an essential element for
relationships. supporting life on earth. The condition of the natural
environment depends entirely on the continuing
These advances created a global market place diversity. If one species is lost from the ecosystem, all of
that is more advanced and lucrative than before. the other species in the ecosystem are affected. The
Presently, people have adopted new habits, skills, and loss of these life forms could affect the entire ecosystem
processes to survive and continue to flourish. These governing the environment.
platforms now operate with no regard to distance, time,
and geographical locations which enable people to
search and discover the world for opportunities that can
create values that were in the past unimaginable.

ICT is the driving force behind globalization and

is becoming an integral part of human flourishing.
Science and technology provide the means by which
society can move into achieving the goal of the good
life. It is changing the landscape of human civilization.
 UNIT III: Specific Issues in Science, Technology, and Society

According to the World Health Organization Genetic engineering is a technique that allows
there are major threats to biodiversity that are genes and DNA to be transferred from one source to
identified by the United Nations Environmental another. This leads to the production of living modified
programs and they are as follows: organisms (LMOs) or genetically modified organisms
1) habitat loss and destruction, (GMOs).
2) alterations in ecosystem composition,
3) over exploitation, Some of the advantages of biotech are:
4) pollution and contamination, and 1) Reduce pollution and waste;
5) global climate change. 2) Decrease the use of energy, raw materials and water;
3) Lead to better quality food products;
It is therefore important to properly administer 4) Create new materials and biofuels from waste; and
agricultural productivity and sustainable use of natural 5) Provide an alternative to some chemical processes.
resources. Biological diversity also ensures clean air,
water, and fertile soils for sustainable development.
Aside from the promise of a better health foods and Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)
restoring healthier condition of the natural
environment, there are other debatable issues of the The World Health Organization defines GMO as
21st century such as the biotechnology, GMOs, the nano an organism, either plant, animals, or microorganism in
technology, gene therapy, and climate change. which the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a
way that does not occur naturally by mating or natural
recombination. The development of GMOs was
Biotechnology perceived to help in the advancement of science and
technology for the benefit of human beings. It also aims
Biotechnology aims to help professionals in to address the issues of food security, agriculture, drug
managing, conserving, and using plant genetic resources production, and nutrition. GMOs are known as
for food and agriculture. Biotechnology uses biological transgenic organisms because this process involves the
systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof to transfer of genes.
make or modify products or processes for specific use.
Particularly, it aims to develop new development The Center for Ecogenetics and Environmental
precision tools and diagnostics; speed up breeding gains Health (CEEH, 2013) identified the characteristics of
and efficiency; develop pest and disease resistant crops; GMOs in food and agriculture:
combat salinity, drought, and problems of agriculture; 1) pest resistance 7) flower production
enhance the nutritional quality of food; increase crop 2) virus resistance 8) paper production
varieties and choice; reduce inputs and production cost; 3) herbicide tolerance 9) pharmaceutical production
and increase profits (Bragdon et al., 2005). 4) fortification 10) bioremediation
5) cosmetic preservation 11) enzyme & drug production
The book, “Managing Innovation in 6) increase growth rate 12) medical treatment
Biotechnology” reported in 2006 that for more than two
decades, the biotechnology sector experienced an Research studies revealed some conflicting
important growth because it is a dynamic business with arguments such as whether consumption of GMOs
many challenges in new product developments to crops is beneficial or harmful to human health. There
improve the quality of life of humans and animals. are also counter arguments either opposing health risk
claims or suggesting that GMOs provide more benefits
The company develops a new method for selling than harm. However, the most notable GMO risks to
its products in the market and granting licenses and human are the potential development of allergens and
patents to other companies. There are two important toxicity from GMO related crops.
lines of research for bio-technology that gives profits,
1) the DNA (Deoxyribo Nucleic Acid), and
2) genetic engineering.
 UNIT III: Specific Issues in Science, Technology, and Society

Studies also show that GMO crops potentially Nanotechnology involves operating at a very
increase the nutritional value of foods. Here are some small dimension and it allows scientist to make use of
of the benefits and risks of GMOs by Serafica et al., the exceptional optical, chemical, physical, mechanical,
2018. and biological qualities of materials of that small scale
(NNI 2017).
Benefits Risks
Higher efficiency in Risk in gene flow; It is an advance interdisciplinary field that
farming; encompasses science and technology that manufacture
Increase in harvest; Emergence of new forms materials to improve the various aspects of humanity
of resistance, secondary especially on healthcare, environment, energy, food,
pest, and weed water, and agriculture. It is a field of exploration and
problems; advancement of knowledge to help improve the quality
Control in fertility; Recombination of virus of life on earth.
and bacteria to produce
new pathogens; It is possible that in the near future, computers
Increase in food Consumption alter the will become even much better, more efficient, and
processing; balance of existing faster than today. Energy saving computers with a
microorganisms in the larger storage of memory will be developed. Shortly
human digestive system; few years from now, the entire memory of the
Improvement of Production of toxins may computer will be saved in a single tiny chip.
desirable characteristics; be detrimental to human
health; Nanotechnology has the potential to construct
Nutritional and Human Genome Project high efficiency, low cost batteries and solar cells.
pharmaceutical In the pursuit of a better life, humans are now dealing
enhancement; and with the challenges in a world that cannot be seen by
Reduce the use of Mutation of genetically the naked eye. No wonder why today, science and
fertilizers and pesticide. engineered technology keeps leading the world and beyond.
microorganism
Cloning The Nano world provides both the knowledge
and instrument to control nature along with the other
These concerns were affirmed by the report of scientific principles governing the technological world.
the World Health Organization (WHO) that also
reported the three major issues on GMOs that are in
international public debates. These are the potential
risks of allergic reactions, gene transfer/flow, and
outcrossing. (WHO, 2014)

The Nano World

The tern “nano” refers to a unit meaning of one

billionth or ten raised to negative nine (10-9). A
nanometeris one billionth of meter. Nano expresses a
very tiny amount or size. A particle of beach sand is
almost ten times larger than a pollen grain. A single
strand of DNA is about three nanometers wide.

Catalysts, minerals, and other particles are

measured on a nano scale. Nanoscience deals with
materials that are very small using specialized
microscopes and other nanodevice.
 UNIT III: Specific Issues in Science, Technology, and Society

Below is a table showing the Benefits and The whole vast concerns of human health
Concerns of the Application of Nanotechnology in including illnesses, aging, treatment and prevention,
Different Areas published by the University of diet and lifestyle have greatly improved from the help
Washington. of technology especially in the medical science.

In 2015, a team of researchers at the Harvard

Example of Possible Concerns Medical School stated that they were able to restore
Areas Benefits basic hearing in generally deaf mice using gene therapy.
Affected by
Nano The Boston Children’s Hospital research team
Technology also reported that they have restored a higher level of
Environment >Improved >High reactivity hearing-down to 25 decibels which is actually
detection and and toxicity equivalent to a whisper. They used an improved gene
removal of >Pervasive therapy vector developed at the Massachusetts Eye and
contaminants distribution in the Ear that was identified as “Anc80” which enables the
>Development environment transfer of genes to the inaccessible outer hair cell
of benign >No nano-specific when introduced into the cochlea (Fisher, 2017).
industrial EPA regulation
process and Gene therapy is actually inspired by the success
materials of DNA technology which occurred more than twenty
Health >improved >ability to cross years ago. The primary goal of gene therapy is to
medicine cell membranes increase the body’s own level of healing capacity. It is
and translocate in simply a process of inserting foreign DNA into a
the body patient’s tissues which requires expertise and
>No FDA approval technological skills to eradicate the targeted disease. It
needed for is one of the promising technological advancements and
cosmetics or yet, maybe unfavourable medical field being studied.
supplements
Economy >Better >Redistribution of The financial cost of this therapy is not simply
products wealth cheap but costly. It is still considered as an experimental
>New jobs >Potential cost of technique that uses genes to treat or prevent diseases.
clean-ups and
healthcare Researchers are testing several approaches to
>Accessibility to gene therapy consisting of the following:
all income level 1) replacing a mutated gene that causes diseases with a
healthy copy of the gene,
According to McNamara et al., 2018, 2) inactivating, or knocking out a mutated gene that is
nanotechnology refers to the manipulation of matter on not functioning properly, and
an atomic or subatomic scale. In the future, as 3) introducing a new gene into the body to help fight a
nanoscience and nanotechnology progresses, more disease. (Science Daily, 2017)
breakthroughs are expected to arise in the different
fields of science, hopefully resolving problems in health, It is considered risky and still under study to
environment, and security among others. make sure that it will be safe and effective. It is
currently tested only for diseases that are terminal and
Aspects of Gene Therapy no treatment available to cure. (Genetic Home
Reference, January 2019)
Human illness and diseases nowadays are
becoming complicated and some are no longer curable
using traditional methods. Gene therapy is a potential
method to either treat or cure genetic-related human
illnesses.
 UNIT III: Specific Issues in Science, Technology, and Society

Climate Change The CO2 theory also predicts that warming trend
will continue for several centuries. (Plass, 1956)
Climate refers to the long-term weather Most of the scientist who studied the climate change
patterns prevailing over a given area of the planet. agreed that the average temperature of the Earth’s
Climate change refers to the statistically significant atmosphere has been increasing by over 90% in the
changes in the climate for a continuous period of time. latter part of the 20th century.

There are two factors contributing to climate Human Activities

change: From the start of industrial period between
1) natural internal-external process, and 17th-18thcentury, the over-all effect of human activities
2) the persistent anthropogenic changes in the on the climate greatly exceeded as compared to the
composition of the atmosphere or in the use of land. known changes of natural processes like the solar
changes and volcanic eruptions. Human activities
It can also be due to the natural occurrences emitted the four principal greenhouses gases: carbon
contributed by destructive acts of human beings. dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O), methane (CH4), and
the halocarbons (a group of gases containing fluorine,
The following are the natural and man-made chlorine, and bromine). These human activities include
causes of climate change: the burning of fossil fuels, converting lands to forestry
Volcanic Eruptions is one of the natural causes and agriculture, building of roads, bridges, and
of climate change. It can cause a cooling effect to the highways, mining, manufacturing, steel making, and
lithosphere because it has emitted aerosol that can other human productive activities. The effects of these
block a certain percentage of solar radiation. activities also affect the environment and all life forms
in the planet. It directly affects the basic elements of
There are recorded major volcanic eruptions human lives like water, food, health, use of land and the
that have caused climate change, one of which is the environment.
eruption of Mt. Pinatubo of the Philippines in 1991.

Orbital Changes also can cause climate change.

According to the Milankovitch Theory, as the Earth
travels through the space around the sun, cyclical
variations in three elements of Earth-Sun geometry
combine to produce variations in the amount of solar
energy that reaches the Earth. The three elements that
have cyclic variations are eccentricity, obliquity, and
precession (Academia Emporia, 2017).

The Carbon Dioxide Theory

According to this theory, carbon dioxide (CO2) is

added when power and heat are produced by burning
coal, oil, and other fossil fuels. It absorbs part of the
infrared radiation in the air and returns it to the ground
keeping the near surface warmer. It raises the
temperature from 2oC to 3oC.

Gilbert N. Plass stated that there is no possible

stable state for the climate. He simply explained it using
the CO2 theory. The extra CO2 released into the
atmosphere by industrial process and other human
activities causes the temperature to rise.