📍Topic 9.1 Advances in Technology and Exchange

📖 AMSCO p.633 - p.637

Main Idea

Key Timeline

Image Courtesy of Riya

Things to Know

Communication and Transportation

• The early 1900s witnessed the significant impact of radio, which brought news, music, and cultural events to a wide audience.
• Advancements in modes of transport, including air travel and shipping containers, contributed to globalization and helped make the world feel more interconnected.
• The internet became a mainstream communication tool by the late 1990s, fostering knowledge economies worldwide.
• Mobile technologies, such as cellphones, and the rise of social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook empowered individuals to create and share information on a global scale.
• Social media played a pivotal role in movements like the "Arab Spring," facilitating the rapid spread of protest experiences and sparking global awareness.

The Green Revolution

• A mid-20th-century agricultural transformation marked by the adoption of high-yielding crop varieties, modern farming techniques, and fertilizers to address global food shortages and enhance food security.
• Positive Impacts:
  • Significantly increased agricultural productivity.
  • Higher crop yields alleviated concerns about global food shortages.
  • Improved efficiency in farming practices reduced pressure on arable land and resources.
• Concerns and Debates:
  • Genetic Engineering:
    • Raised concerns and sparked debates over unintended consequences, including potential impacts on pollinating insects.
  • Loss of Traditional Seed Varieties:
    • Adoption of genetically engineered plants led to concerns about the potential loss of traditional seed varieties.
  • Environmental Consequences:
    • The Green Revolution triggered debates on the potential environmental impact of widespread genetic modifications in agriculture.

Energy Technologies

• In 1900, coal dominated global energy consumption, but over time, petroleum, natural gas, and nuclear power emerged, transforming industrial output and productivity.
• Fossil fuels, including coal, petroleum, and natural gas, are nonrenewable resources, contributing to air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
• Nuclear power, considered clean energy, posed risks such as accidents at plants and the challenge of storing radioactive waste.
• In response to environmental concerns, there has been a decline in nuclear power plant construction, with renewable resources like wind and solar power gradually contributing to global energy output.

Medical Innovations

• Antibiotics, starting with penicillin in 1928, revolutionized medicine by curing bacterial infections and saving lives during World War II.
• The development of reliable birth control, exemplified by the birth control pill in the 1950s, transformed sexual practices, reshaped gender roles, and led to a decline in fertility rates globally.
• Vaccines, developed and distributed widely after 1900, played a crucial role in preventing diseases like polio, measles, and smallpox, contributing to a decline in mortality rates.
• Despite the success of vaccines, challenges such as accessibility persisted, with some populations facing difficulties in getting vaccinated due to geographic constraints.

Terms to Remember