The effects of science and technology to human life

By Quasar Kiss Since ancient times man has been in the eternal quest for knowledge and information. Due to this thirst, they had gained knowledge in diverse fields. During the ancient times, man's cravings were very less but when these started growing, man began conceiving new ideas. These ideas soon turned into reality. Sometimes they was fortunate but the rest of their attempts were in vain. But man because of his immense ardor and courage began accomplishing great tasks that would benefit mankind for the rest of eternity. Through science man has discovered miraculous inventions.. In the field of transport, man has made advancements in leaps and bounds. Evidently the first boat on earth was present even before the birth of Christ. The major invention was the wheels apart from the usual cars, ships, trains, planes etc. These have evolved into the current forms that are seen today. Science has also made communications simpler and faster. When Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, he probably had no idea that it would be so revolutionizing. When Charles Babbage thought about the computer he too might not have foreseen it to dominate every other part of life. The telephone and the computer have given us the internet which has given us the e-mail. Also video-conferencing has made it possible for a doctor in one part of the world to instruct his patent's surgery in another part of the world. Space travel is now a reality with Yuri Gagarin being the first man to enter the huge vacuum. And now with telescopes being made we see the ends of space. In the field of medicine science has given us life in the form of death combating medicines. This has increased the average life of human being by many years. Electricity is science's boon to mankind. Electricity is something that we cannot do without. Electricity powers our lights, fans, computers, refrigerators, TV's. It charges our mobile phones and other gadgets. Science has also given us what the current education system cannot do without which is paper. Paper is the basic need of the education system. Science has given us a host of other advantages. It has helped in the field of irrigation, sports, real estate...... and so on. The advantages of science are many. "But like everything science too has its drawbacks, its limitations". The cars, planes, trains, ships have taken millions of lives since inception. The injuries caused are almost ten times more. The death toll increases daily. In such circumstances there hardly lies any room for error. Most of these accidents are due to human lapse. Cases of drunken driving are often reported. Wrong signals have been given to trains. Airplane engines have failed in mid-air. Ships have

been marooned at sea. Ships carrying oil have sunk causing calamities and killing marine lives. The computer might make work easier but it is also causes problems. Most computer users do not have the correct posture and this leads to pain in the back, wrist, neck etc. The internet and e-mail are used to transmit deadly virus that can destroy your data, corrupt your files, steal your private information and put it up for the world to see. Space travel is tedious and also risky with space shuttles crashing, killing people and causing millions of dollars of damage. Medicines have increased the life span of a human being and this leads to over-population. The problem of drugs is only a part of the whole picture. Taking spurious medicines is like taking poison. Electrical energy is good and useful as long as it flows in our appliances. Once it flows in places that are not meant for it, it wreaks havoc. An example is our body. Electrical shocks play their own deadly role in the death game. Lots of damage can be caused by fires. Anything from faulty wiring to a short circuit can cause this. Today we have also become very dependent on electricity. If the electricity goes it's as if we have lost the light of our lives. We cannot sit on the computer, use the electric razor, watch TV, wash our clothes and iron them. Electricity is a very powerful force. And such a force can be a bad master. Paper though used for the propagation of education razes our trees to the ground. This in the long run causes many environmental problems like global warming etc. One of the most destructive forces that science has given us is the bomb. There are many forms of a bomb, from a simple firecracker to a fully fledged nuclear bomb. It is a force capable of wiping out a country within minutes. One of the displays of its sheer power is well Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the effects of which can be seen for generations as physical deformities in people. Science is a world in itself, fascinating, dark, huge and unexplored. Science can be used for the good of all if used. Science when improperly used can be molded into a potent force capable of wiping out life and its traces