7 GREAT BENEFITS OF SCIENCE FOR HUMANITY - SCIENCE - 2024

The benefits of science on society are undeniable and cover areas as diverse as health, culture, education and communications, among others. The set of knowledge obtained through observations and experimentation on nature that science provides us provides innumerable benefits to society.

The study of the beings that make up nature, the phenomena that occur in it and the laws that govern it, allows human beings not only to explain and understand the environment where they develop, but also to use this knowledge to substantially improve their quality of life. lifetime.

Main benefits of science

Healthy population

A healthier population - hence a longer life expectancy - is one of the benefits that science has brought to society.

In terms of health, two discoveries have completely transformed medicine, have saved the lives of millions of people and have contributed substantially to improve the fight of the human being with the disease. These discoveries are:

Penicillin

In 1928, Scotsman Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, an antibiotic that saves millions of people from death every day.

Since its discovery, research for the development of drugs based on penicillin has not ceased and it is one of the main resources available to current medicine to help our body fight disease.

DNA

The discovery of DNA implied a before and after in medicine. The author of this achievement, unprecedented in the history of mankind, was Friedrich Miescher in 1869.

Its discovery, and all the subsequent research carried out on its composition and structure, has made it possible to respond to a multitude of diseases that, without this advance, would have been lethal for humans.

Resources to fight against natural adversities

The accumulation of past and present knowledge, as well as a greater understanding of the laws of nature, have allowed human beings to develop prediction systems for natural disasters, such as earthquakes, volcanic explosions, tidal waves, etc.

These prediction systems have saved millions of lives and significantly reduced human casualties associated with natural disasters.

On the other hand, the development of heating and cooling systems have allowed humans to cope with the adversities of the climate in a comfortable way. This has considerably reduced deaths associated with cold or heat waves.

Facilities in daily life

Many of the utensils or appliances that we use every day and that seem essential have very little in our homes.

The Industrial Revolution meant a great transformation in homes. Some of the tools and utensils that facilitate our daily life and that are the result of the Industrial Revolution are:

Kitchen

We can cook without the need for a fire.

Fridge

It allows us to preserve food for longer without risk of spoiling.

Light bulb

Although the first advances in the creation of the light bulb were made in 1809 and are attributed to Thomas Alva Edison, it was not until the Industrial Revolution that the experiment developed by Edison became the first light bulb that worked for 14 hours straight.

In the field of hygiene, science has also brought us some benefits:

- Hygiene products, perfumes, cosmetic products, etc., are the result of scientific research and contribute to improving our physical appearance.

- Household cleaning products help us to live in a healthier environment for us.

More and better nutrition

Greater knowledge about the environment, cultivation techniques and the development of phytosanitary products ensure greater and better food production.

For example, without these scientific advances, the action of pests would reduce agricultural production by more than 40%. This would clearly put a significant part of the population at risk, for which access to food would become impossible.

On the other hand, greater agricultural efficiency translates into lower costs for the final consumer.

Increased mobility

Advances in science in transportation have totally transformed human mobility.

Steam machine

In 1768 James Watt built the first model of a steam engine. This facilitated the transport of devices and the subsequent development of trains, in which millions of people travel every day.

Car

Later, in 1885 Karl Benz developed the first internal combustion car; this allowed the privatization of transport.

Airplane

In 1903 the Wright brothers flew for the first time in what is considered the first airplane. This advance allows society today to travel great distances in a short time.

Getting energy

Without the advances of science, obtaining the necessary energy for the Industrial Revolution would have been impossible. Without the Industrial Revolution, many of the utensils and tools that we use today would not exist.

Coal, oil, electrical energy, among others, have needed the advancement of knowledge in order to be used.

Today, and faced with the threat of the depletion of energies so present in our daily lives - such as oil - it is science that is providing alternatives through the use of renewable energies, such as wind or solar.

If science were not able to offer us alternatives to obtaining energy, we would lose many of the benefits that it has offered us, such as many of the facilities that we have in our daily lives, resources with which we combat climatic adversities, advances in mobility, among others.

Intercommunicated world

The invention of the telephone revolutionized the world of telecommunications. This invention allowed us to communicate with people physically separated by long distances.

Subsequently, the arrival of the Internet brought about another revolution in telecommunications that would once again transform our way of communicating, even allowing the development of new models of labor collaboration, such as teleworking.

References

1. The Role of Science and Technology in Society and Governance. In Unesco. Accessed June 14, 2018, from unesco.org.
2. Benefits of science in education. In Educating the world. Consulted on June 11, 2018, from icesi.edu.co.
3. Benefits of science in crops. In Casafe. Consulted on June 11, 2018, from casafe.org.
4. Statement on science and the use of scientific knowledge. In Unesco. Accessed June 11, 2018, from unesco.org.
5. Inventors Timeline. In American Histogram. Retrieved June 14, 2018, from american-historama.org.