Science and Technology

What is the purpose of scientific research?

It's difficult to overestimate the role of science and technology in our life. They accelerate the development of civilization and help us in our co-operation with nature. Scientists investigate the laws of the universe, discover the secrets of nature, and apply their knowledge in practice improving the life of people.

Why have most important inventions and discoveries been made by men? Do you think this will continue in the future?

Science is a source of progress. It develops the world we live in. It makes our lives easier and better. Humans are an ingenious species. From the moment someone bashed a rock on the ground to make the first sharp-edged tool, to the development of Mars rovers and the Internet, several key advancements stand out as particularly revolutionary. Before the invention of the wheel in 3500 B.C., humans were severely limited in how much stuff we could transport over land, and how far. Wheeled carts facilitated agriculture and commerce by enabling the transportation of goods to and from markets, as well as easing the burdens of people traveling great distances. Without nails, civilization would surely crumble. This key invention dates back more than 2,000 years to the Ancient Roman period, and became possible only after humans developed the ability to cast and shape metal. Previously, wood structures had to be built by interlocking adjacent boards geometrically a much more arduous construction process. Ancient mariners navigated by the stars, but that method didn't work during the day or on cloudy nights, and so it was unsafe to voyage far from land. The Chinese invented the first compass sometime between the 9th and 11th century. The German Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press around 1440. Key to its development was the hand mold, a new molding technique that enabled the rapid creation of large quantities of metal movable type. Printing presses exponentially increased the speed with which book copies could be made, and thus they led to the rapid and widespread dissemination of knowledge for the first time in history. combustion engines convert chemical energy into mechanical work. Decades of engineering by many scientists went in to designing the internal combustion engine, which took its (essentially) modern form in the latter half of the 19th century. The engine ushered in the Industrial Age, as well as enabling the invention of a huge variety of machines, including modern cars and aircraft. Alexander Graham Bell was the first to be awarded a patent for the electric telephone in 1876. The invention quickly took off, and revolutionalized global business and communication. Light bulbs changed the world by allowing us to be active at night. According to historians, two dozen people were instrumental in inventing incandescent lamps throughout the 1800s; Thomas Edison is credited as the primary inventor because he created a completely functional lighting system, including a generator and wiring as well as a carbon-filament bulb like the one above, in 1879. In 1928, the Scottish scientist Alexander Fleming noticed a bacteria-filled Petri dish in his laboratory with its lid accidentally ajar. The sample had become contaminated with a mold, and everywhere the mold was, the bacteria was dead. That antibiotic mold turned out to be the fungus Penicillium, and over the next two decades, chemists purified it and developed the drug Penicillin, which fights a huge number of bacterial infections in humans without harming the humans themselves. Not only have birth control pills, condoms and other forms of contraception sparked a sexual revolution in the developed world by allowing men and women to have sex for leisure rather than procreation, they have also drastically reduced the average number of offspring per woman in countries where they are used. With fewer mouths to feed, modern families have achieved higher standards of living and can provide better for each child. Certain contraceptives, such as condoms, also curb the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. The global system of interconnected computer networks known as the Internet is used by billions of people worldwide. Countless people helped develop it, but the person most often credited with its invention is the computer scientist Lawrence Roberts. In the 1960s, a team of computer scientists working for the U.S. Defense Department's ARPA (Advanced Research Projects Agency) built a communications network to connect the computers in the agency.

What aspects of science or technology have a direct effect on your life?

In my life, like in the life of many contemporary people science technique has a very important role. We can’t handle life without it anymore. For me, as for an interpreter, the most important aspect of science and technology is computers. I use computer every day both for work and for my studies. Computers and I-net support me with all the necessary information. I can stay in touch with my friends, collegues and employees even when I’n in another country. Most of my dictionaries, apllications, editors, readers and other programmes connected with my job are uploaded on my laptop.

How is learning and studying changing because of technological advances?

Times have changed, teachers have evolved, and we now have a new breed of learning technologists. The first changes began in the classroom itself – new technologies such as overhead projectors, interactive whiteboards, laptop computers and wireless internet have opened up the classroom to the outside world. Teachers who spent their lives managing with a textbook, a tape recorder and a blackboard are now adept at using PowerPoint to present grammar, playing podcasts to practise listening skills, pulling texts off the world wide web to introduce reading skills and perhaps most ground-breaking of all – empowering students by giving them access to a wide range of web-based tools that allow them to publish work and engage with live audiences in real contexts. And that is just the beginning – because just as technologies have begun to change the way that English is learned in the classroom, even bigger changes seem to be taking place outside it. In fact, the digital revolution in learning now threatens to undermine the classroom completely as a place of study. Learning English through mobile devices gains credibility every day and the increasing popularity and rapidly diminishing cost of tablet devices reinforce this by providing a format that really is capable of delivering courseware.

What are some of the global problems caused by technological progress?

The scientific and technological progress of the twentieth century resulted in widespread mechanisation, automated lines computerised management, spaceships, atomic power stations, pipelines, new roads and highways. But it can not be denied that the price for rapid industrial development is very high: natural resources are exhausted, the ecological balance of the planet is disturbed; some species of flora and fauna disappear; city and industry waters, chemicals and fertilisers are endangering lakes, rivers and ponds. Big cities have a problem with air pollution. We can also admit the safety of nuclear power stations, the nuclear war threat, and the responsibility of a scientist

Is it worth spending huge amounts of money on space exploration and genetic research at the expense of social programmes?

Currently, one of the most important issues in the world is waste of resources –natural as well as monetary resources. The world economy today faces a challenging situation due to big disparity between the developed, developing and under developed nations. The problems of a growing population are manifold with immense pressure on the available natural resources. It is well-known fact that some rich countries spend billions on space exploration, sending costly satellites while people in poor countries suffering from diseases, malnutrition and acute starvation. Opinions are divided as to whether the high cost on space adventures is waste of money or beneficial to mankind. However it is my firm belief that money should be also spent on extremely significant issues as mentioned below. Scientists suggest that with the advancement of genetic engineering, potentially infectious and incurable diseases may be minimized and perhaps ultimately cured. Genetic engineers are striving to implant specific genes that have been engineered with antiviral proteins uniquely designed to eliminate and target correlating antigens. Similarly, genetic research may also be able to determine specific genes that contribute to hereditary diseases. The aim is then to proactively identify people who may have a predisposition to a particular disease or someone who may be more susceptible to the disease. Careful monitoring may lead to an early diagnosis and ultimately a more positive prognosis. This intensive scientific research may pave the way for the development of new drugs that will target specific genes and address genetic mutations. The advantages of genetic engineering may further reverse or slow down cellular degeneration which may in turn culminate in a generally increased life expectancy, quality of life and overall health and productivity.