BIODIVERSITY AND HEALTHY SOCIETY

BIODIVERSITY

- is the sum of all the different species of animals, plants, fungi and microbial
organisms living on Earth and the variety of habitats in which they live.
Biodiversity underlies everything from food production to medical research.

TYPES OF BIODIVERSITY

Genetic Diversity

Every species on Earth is related to every other species through genetic

connections. The more closely related any two species are, the more genetic
information they will share, and the more similar they will appear.

Species Diversity

Species diversity is the variety of species within a habitat or a region. Species are
the basic units of biological classification and thus the normal measure of biological
diversity. Species richness is the term that describes the number of different species
in a given area.

Ecological Diversity

Ecological diversity is the intricate network of different species present in local

ecosystems and the dynamic interplay between them.

THREATS TO BIODIVERSITY

1. CLIMATE CHANGE - Increase in the temperature of the atmosphere has major

effects on the environment such as the seasons, rising of the sea levels, and glacial
retreats.

2. HABITAT LOSS & DEGRADATION - Habitat loss may either be caused by

natural events like natural calamities and geological events or anthropogenic
activities like deforestation and man-induced climate change.

3. POLLUTION - Be it water, air, or land pollution, all forms of pollution appear to be

a threat to all life forms on Earth.

4. INVASIVE SPECIES - An exotic or unnatural species can be any kind of organism

that has been introduced to a foreign habitat. This introduction can cause major
threats to the native species.

5. OVEREXPLOITATION - Overexploitation refers to the act of over-harvesting

species and natural resources at rates faster than they can actually sustain
themselves in the wild.
6. OTHER POTENTIAL THREATS - Epidemics and infectious diseases of wildlife
such as Ebola virus disease, infectious bursal disease, and flu affect wildlife and
biodiversity.

HEALTHY SOCIETY

A healthy society is about more than just preventing injuries and reducing the death
toll from disease. It is also about having access to safe neighborhoods and
affordable housing, broadening job opportunities and reducing income inequality,
designing walkable towns and fostering community cohesion.

Genetically Modified Organisms

What is Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)?

A genetically modified organism contains DNA that has been altered using genetic
engineering. Genetically modified animals are mainly used for research purposes,
while genetically modified plants are common in today’s food supply.

*This are are the combinations of plant, animal, bacteria, and virus genes.

For thousands of years, humans have used breeding methods to modify organisms.
Corn, cattle, and even dogs have been selectively bred over generations to have
certain desired traits. Within the last few decades, however, modern advances in
biotechnology have allowed scientists to directly modify the DNA of microorganisms,
crops, and animals.

Conventional methods of modifying plants and animals:

Selective breeding - Breeding to produce desired characteristics in animal or plant

offspring.

Crossbreeding - Mating two different organisms together to form a hybrid species.

Genetically Modified Organisms can be use as:

1. MODELS

2. HUMAN CONSUMPTION

The first genetically engineered plants to be produced for human consumption were
introduced in the mid-1990s. Today, approximately 90 percent of the corn, soybeans,
and sugar beets on the market are GMOs.

Genetically engineered crops are produce for:

•higher yields

•have a longer shelf life

•resistant to diseases and pests

•better taste

Ethics and Implications of Genetically Modified Organisms

Ethics of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)

potential harm to human health

• potential damage to the environment

• negative impact on traditional farming practice

• excessive corporate dominance

• 'unnaturalness' of the technology.

Implications of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)

Genetic modification produces genetically modified animals, plants and organisms. If

they are introduced into the environment they can affect biodiversity.

GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS

- A genetically modified organism contains DNA that has been altered using
geneticengineering. Genetically modified animals are mainly used for
research purposes, while genetically modified plants are common in today’s
food supply.
- A genetically modified organism (GMO) is an animal, plant, or microbe whose
DNA has been altered using genetic engineering techniques.

GMO Salmon

Photo of a genetically engineered Salmon. Created so that it continuously produces

growth hormones and can be sold as a full size fish after 18 months instead of 3
years.

Customized panels designed to target your relevant markers will help to accelerate
variety development and crop improvement. Genetically modified bacteria were the
first organisms to be modified in the laboratory, due to their simple genetics. These
organisms are now used for several purposes, and are particularly important in
producing large amounts of pure human proteins for use in medicine.

GENETICALLY MODIFIED (GM) CROPS

Genetically modified (GM) crops represent the most rapidly adopted technology in
the history of agriculture, having now reached 25 years of commercial production.
Grown by millions of farmers, many in developing countries, the technology is
providing significant economic and environmental benefits, such as reductions in
chemical use of 37%, increased yields of 22% and improved farm profits of 68%.

THE HUMAN HEALTH BENEFITS FROM GM CROPS

Reductions in pesticides poisonings

This is crucial with brinjal production as visual evidence of insect damage prevents
the sale of products for public consumption, resulting in significant income losses.
The application of insecticides must be done as the plants grow and mature, through
the use of backpack sprayers, resulting in skin absorption of chemical residues.

Changes in farmer suicide

Mental health challenges and issues affect all walks of life and economic sectors,
with agriculture being no different. Access to sufficient mental health resources can
be problematic within the agriculture sector due to rural areas, remote locations and
lack of access to mental health support systems. Unfortunately, suicide is a concern
in agriculture.

Lowering cancer incidences

The development of insect-resistant crop varieties has begun to have a noticeable

potential to improve human health through the reduction in cancer rates. Prior to the
commercialization of Bt crops, maize in particular, insect damage to the harvested
crop increased the potential for the development of harmful health effects.

Mental health benefits

One factor not assessed to date is the mental health improvements incurred by GM
crop adopters. Stress in agriculture is like every other sector of the business
economy, although in the agriculture sector, the stresses may be more related to
financial debt servicing and the potentials of crop failure.

Nutritional benefits

Genetically modified crops have made significant contributions to address the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals, in particular goals 1 (reducing poverty) and
2 (reducing hunger). While increased yields have contributed to higher household
incomes, which reduce poverty, the increased yields have also enhanced household
food security. Biofortified GM crops have been adopted, increasing micronutrient
availability.

Concluding remarks

While millions of farmers growing bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton are experiencing
reduced incidences of pesticide poisoning, all of the estimated 17 million farmers
growing GM crops globally have reduced chemical exposures. Certainly, the reduced
rates of pesticide poisoning, possibly in excess of 100 million cases, are a vital
statistic of the benefits of GM crops, but perhaps the most significant is the
contribution to improved mental health from farmers, especially those in India.

Six Potential Human Health Concerns

(Disadvantages of GMO on Human Health.)

Genetically engineered foods are different from other foods. Genetic engineering
allows, for the first time, foreign genes, bacterial and viral vectors, viral promoters
and antibiotic marker systems to be engineered into food.

1. Toxicity

Genetically engineered foods are inherently unstable. Each insertion of a novel

gene, and the accompanying “cassette” of promoters, antibiotic marker systems and
vectors, is random.

2. Allergic Reactions

The genetic engineering of food creates two separate and serious health risks
involving allergenicity.

3. Antibiotic Resistance

Another hidden risk of GE foods is that they could make disease-causing bacteria
resistant to current antibiotics, resulting in a significant increase in the spread of
infections and diseases in the human population.

4. Immuno-suppression

The well-respected British medical journal, The Lancet, published an important study
conducted by Drs. Arpad Pusztai and Stanley W.B. Ewen under a grant from the
Scottish government. The study examined the effect on rats of the consumption of
potatoes genetically engineered to contain the biopesticide Bacillus Thuringiensis
(B.t.). The scientists found that the rats consuming genetically altered potatoes
showed significant detrimental effects on organ development, body metabolism, and
immune function.

5. Cancer

Along with its approval of GE foods, the FDA in 1993 also approved the use of
genetically engineered recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH), used to induce
dairy cows to produce more milk. Perhaps of most immediate concern for consumers
is that research shows that the levels of a hormone called insulin-like growth factor-1
(IGF-1) are increased in dairy products produced from cows treated with rBGH.

6. Loss of Nutrition
Genetic engineering can also alter the nutritional value of food. In 1992, the FDA’s
Divisions of Food Chemistry & Technology and Food Contaminants Chemistry
examined the problem of nutrient loss in GE foods.

Politics

(Potential Future Impacts of GMO on Politics)

“GM crops are not about feeding the world but about patented ownership of the food
supply”- GMO Myths and Truths, 2015

The seeds from GM crops are patented by the agribusinesses who produced them.
Farmers are forbidden to save their seed. This means that 1.4 billion poorer farmers
– especially in Africa – who traditionally saved and shared seed from one harvest to
the next, could be tied into buying new seed every year. At a price set by the GM
seed producer.

Countries such as Brazil, US and Argentina that have adopted GM seeds, have also
reduced the farmers’ independence in their choice of seeds. The GM businesses
have bought out the seed companies, thus controlling seed availability. In Brazil, for
instance, seed stores were required to sell 85% GM soy seeds and no more than
15% non GM.

There are all too many failures of genetically engineered crops. Take, for instance,
the so called Golden Rice.

By incorporating beta-carotene into a rice grain, scientists from Syngenta intended to

help malnourished people who were suffering from Vitamin A deficiency. This GM
rice has taken nearly 20 years to produce, has cost millions of dollars, gives poor
yields and has had negligible increase in the beta carotene levels within the grain.
Reports have shown that individuals would need to eat over 3 kilos a day to increase
their vitamin intake. And now it has been proved that the rice loses over 70% of it’s
beta-carotene unless it is vacuum packed. Yet more expense for the poorest of
consumers. In the meantime a public health initiative, led by the Philippines
government and NGOs, reduced the Vit A deficiency in children from 40% to 15%, at
a fraction of the cost – by promoting vegetables already in abundance in the country.

Within the Asia-Pacific region

The Philippines is considered a pioneer for the adoption of GMO technology in

developing countries. The first GMO crops to be planted in Asia were planted in the
Philippines in 2002 and by 2016 the country was ranked 13th globally by ISAAA for
total area of biotech crops planted — 812,000 ha.

Genetically modified maize is the dominant crop in the country, with 65 percent of
maize farmers choosing the GMO variety, and public-private sector collaborations
are expected to lead to the commercialization of golden rice, and GMO varieties of
cotton, eggplant, and papaya.

“The benefits of biotech corn to Filipino farmers’ livelihood, income, and health, and
to the environment have been well studied and documented,” ISAAA reported in
2015.

“Overall, the four studies that examined net farm income, as well as other indicators,
consistently confirmed the positive impact of biotech corn on small and resource-
poor farmers and corn producers generally in the Philippines.”Research from the
University of the Philippines showed farmers made more money due to a higher
yield, and spent less on insecticides.
 THE NANO WORLD
What is Nanotechnology?

The NNI (US) defines nanotechnology as technology that meets the following three
criteria:

(1) Nano-size: (approx. range)l to 100 nanometers

(2) With properties and functions not present in larger dimensions

(3) Design and control at the atomic / molecular level

What Can Nanotechnology Do?

NNI vision: " systematic control of matter on the nanoscale level (that) will lead to a
revolution in technology and industry."

Why should we be concerned about nanotechnology?

Nanotechnology is not a single technology; it may become pervasive

- Nanotechnology seeks to produce new materials with specific properties

- Nanotechnology may introduce new efficiencies and paradigms which may make
some natural resources and current practices uncompetitive or obsolete

- It may be very difficult to detect its presence unless one has the specialist tools of
nanotechnology

Do we have opportunities in nanotechnology?

Yes! But we have to choose carefully.

- Nanotechnology includes materials and devices whichrange from the relatively

inexpensive and accessible tothe very expensive and inaccessible

- Cost-benefit and competitiveness

- Health and environmental risk; life-cycle analysis

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF NANOTECHNOLOGY AND ITS PRODUCT

- Therefore, by detecting pollutants by specific sensors, we can help protect the

sustainability of human health and the environment

- Thus, nanotechnology provides us with a new approach to cut down the waste
production , reduce the emission of greenhouse gases and discharge of hazardous
chemicals in water bodies

Energy consumption:
The use of graphene into a coating material resulting in the need for only one layer,
which does not require a multifunctional film coating. Two applications for a
graphene based coating are to apply it to a blade used in wind turbines or on the
body of an airplane. It saves the weight increasing efficiency.

Energy consumption:

- Cost saving on materials: An alternative energy method such as hybrid

automobiles will decrease the price by novel developments in
nanotechnology.
- Less waste on raw materials: Large sample testing will be done on a smaller
scale and simultaneously use of raw materials will become more efficiency.
Nanoscale chemical reagents (or catalysts) increase the reaction rate and
other efficiency of chemical reactions.
- Environmental monitoring and protection: Utilizing advanced nanotechnology,
a detector was made to detect a nuclear leak faster and more accurate at the
Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Which is one of the best radiation
detector in Washington and can sense the faintest amount of radiation.
- Biological applications: Developing ultra-small probes on planetary surfaces
for agricultural applications and control of soil, air, and water contamination.
- Biomedical applications: This includes the medical diagnostic and treatments.

Potential Environmental Effects

Nanoparticles have higher surface areas than the bulk materials which can cause
more damage to the human body and environment compared to the bulk particles.
Therefore, concern for the potential risk to the society due to nanoparticles has
attracted national and international attentions.

Nanoparticles are not only beneficial to tailor the properties of polymeric composite
materials and environment in air pollution monitoring, but also to help reduce
material consumption and remediation.

- The major problem of nanomaterials is the nanoparticle analysis method. As

nanotechnology improves, new and novel nanomaterials are gradually
developed. However, the materials vary by shape and size which are
important factors in determining the toxicity. Lack of information and methods
of characterizing nanomaterials make existing technology extremely difficult to
detect the nanoparticles in air for environmental protection.
- Also, information of the chemical structure is a critical factor to determine how
toxic a nanomaterial is, and minor changes of chemical function group could
drastically change its properties.
- Full risk assessment of the safety on human health and environmental impact
need to be evaluated at all stages of nanotechnology. The risk assessment
should include the exposure risk and its probability of exposure, toxicological
 analysis, transport risk, persistence risk, transformation risk and ability to
recycle.
- Life cycle risk assessment is another factor that can be used to predict the
environmental impacts.
- Good experimental design in advance of manufacturing a nanotechnology
based product can reduce the material waste.

Positive Effects on Environment

Nanotechnology offers potential economic, societal and environment benefits.

Nanotechnology also has the potential to help reduce the human footprint on the
environment by providing solutions for energy consumption, pollution, and green gas
emissions. Nanotechnology offers the potential for significant environmental benefits,
including:

- Cleaner, more efficient industrial processes

- Improved ability to detect and eliminate pollution by improving air, water, and
soil quality
- High precision manufacturing by reducing amount of waste
- Clean abundant power via more efficient solar cells
- Removal of greenhouse gases and other pollutants from the atmosphere
- Decreased need for large industrial plants
- Remediating environmental damages.

The nanoscale products that utilize graphene in an industrial useor research can
benefit the environment in several ways:

Graphene based Nano composites reduce the weight of airplanes by substituting

traditional metals and composites, and the consequence of the weight saving results
in a reduction of a thousand tons of gasoline

Graphene thin films or graphene Bucky papers can be substituted in place of metal
meshes around the fuselage of airplane used to prevent the direct and indirect
effects of lightning strikes

The eminent properties of graphene increases the efficiency of advanced renewable

energy processes, such as reducing the weight of a wind turbine blades and
increasing the energy converse efficiency.

Negative Effects on Environment

Understanding of the environmental effects and risks associated with

nanotechnology is very limited and inconsistent. The potential environmental harm
through nanotechnology can be summarized as follows:

- High energy requirements for synthesizing nanoparticles causing high

- energy demand
 - Dissemination of toxic, persistent nano substances originating environmental
harm
- Lower recovery and recycling rates
- Environmental implications of other life cycle stages also not clear
- Lack of trained engineers and workers causing further concerns.

Graphene has outstanding properties and its products can benefit the
environment and economy; unfortunately, graphene based composites may
also harm the environment in other ways:

- The toxic property of graphene is unknown, and is difficult to remove

graphene from waste.
- Graphene could react with materials and biological systems in environment in
a way that is unexpected.
- Graphene has a good thermal conductivity, and fire retardancy of the polymer
nanocomposites is already well researched. However, scientists warn that it
may cause fire risk if graphene is contaminated with other substances during
the process.

Current and Future Uses of Nanotechnology

Carbon nanotubes

Specific examples of existing products using nanotechnology include the

following:

- Seldon Technologies‘ MineralWater system

- Linde Electronics‘ carbon nanotube ink

Specific examples of existing products using nanotechnology include the

following:

- Sunscreen products
- Bandages
- Antibacterial swimming pool liquids.

The Perils & Risks of Nanotechnology

- Overpopulation
- Increase in Crime and Terrorism
- Disparity Between Haves and Have-Nots
- Conflicts Over
- Religious Beliefs and Lifestyles
- Appearance of “Grey Goo.“

Ray Kurzweil on "How Technology Will Transform Us"

 Raymond Kurzweil Born on February 12, 1948, Queens, New York, U.S.
American computer scientist and futurist He is known as the one who pioneered
pattern-recognition technology and proselytized the inevitability of humanity’s
merger with the technology it created. His subjects of study include artificial
intelligence, computer program, and “Transcendent Man”. At the age of 14, he
worked as a computer programmer for the Head Start program.

- In 1965 he earned first prize in the International Science Fair with a

computer program that could write music that mimicked the styles of great
composers.
- Kurzweil famously predicted the technological singularity (the crucial
moment when machines become smarter than humans) will occur in our
lifetime.
- He was hired by search engine giant Google as a director of engineering
focused on machine learning and language processing.
- Inventions: Scanner, Optical Character Recognition, Kurzweil Reading
Machine

Scanner - is a device that optically scans images, printed text, handwriting or an

object and converts it to a digital image.

Optical character recognition (OCR) - is the electronic or mechanical conversion of

images of typed, handwritten or printed text into machine-encoded text.

The Kurzweil Reading Machine (KRM) – is a machine that converts printed

words into synthetic speech and is intended for use by the sightless.

- Throughout this talk, Ray Kurzweil explains exponential growth and how it
relates to various things in the world such as technology, life expectancy, and
medicine. He believes that all of these things, while incredibly slow-growing
for a long time, at some point have a dramatic increase in acceleration and
shortening of the time it takes for great advancement.
- Towards the end of his talk, Kurzweil begins discussing phenomenal,
seemingly futuristic new technologies that, according to him and following the
pattern of exponential growth, will become a reality in a mere decade or two.
- The technology that Kurzweil speaks of involves it being implemented inside
the human body to modify or even replace the natural

Technology in our Life Today and How it has Changed

Technology has changed how we live every day. It includes how we:

- Communicate
- Study
- Work
- Date
- Shop and pay bills
- Play and have fun
- Live inside and outside of our homes
- Protect ourselves and cure our illness
 THE INFORMATION AGE

THE POST-GUTENBERG WORLD

This era can be described as the emergence of the internet and the world wide web.
This paved the way to the possible uploading and downloading of all forms of media
instruments such as video, audio, and images.It enabled people to publish or spread
the information.

- Computer
- TYPE WRITER

THE RISE OF THE DIGITAL AGE

With the advent of modern technolagies, printing press are not the only tools used in
spreading information. Nowadays, information is readily available to pass form on
individual to another from here to even faraway places.

- Face to face classes

- Online Classes

INFORMATION AGE

What is Information?

- A knowledge Communicated or Obtained concerning a specific fact or

circumtances.
- Facts provided or learned anbout Something or someone

The Information Age

Before the rise of computers, information was being spread using print out materials.
Johannes Gutenberg, aGerman blacksmith and publisher who introduced "movable
type printing in Europe, established what we called Gutenberg era which is
responsible for shaping the nature of society and its underlying institutions. In this
period of time, where Gutenberg principle was formed and that principle is stated as
"the massive distribution of information in an expensive manner because it is
institutionalized.

The Pre-Gutenberg World

- During the time when printing press was not yet available, information could
be processed in a tendinous manner.
- Books were written and produced by hand. They were made in surfaces of
clay, wax, papyrus and parchment. The hand-produced books and other
reading materials were restricted only to those people who can afford to buy
these materials, called as the "elite group of people".
 - Information was only relayed to other through a word-of-mouth channels
(Stacy. 2008).

The Gutenberg Revolution

It begun with the introduction of printing, specifically the movable printing press, by
Gutenberg. His principle existed in such a way that Information could be passed on
to every individual, but the access was expensive. Books printed in the Gutenberg
era were called incunabula (meaning cradle or birthplace). This technology
eventually diffused form Mainz to Subiaco in Italy, Paris and then London. Most
books that was first printed were that of religious texts of the medieval period that
were initially written in Latin but as time passed by, some books are written in local
language which made them available and understandable to common people
Scientific and geographic discoveries spread at a fast rate as well as medical books
were also published.

The rise of institutionalized and mediated channels was during this time and its best
example was the "media" which can pass information through to people from all
walks of life and this opened the door to exceptional mass communications. But
during this period of history, to distribute information to a lot of listeners or viewers,
one must have a ton of money at is was very costly. The unprecedent discovery of
printing press has contributed a lot to the world that was way impossible to books or
document written by hand making Johannes Gutenberg a man of mystery.

Messenger

- Former Name: Facebook Chat

- Developer(s) : Meta Platforms (Facebook, Inc)
- Date Released: August 9, 2011

Facebook Messenger is a FREE mobile messaging app used for instant messaging,
sharing photos, videos, audio recordings and for group chats. The app, which is free
to download, can be used to communicate with your friends on Facebook and with
your phone contacts.

What are the main functions?

- Instant messaging
- Photo/video sharing
- Group chats – users can chat with their Facebook friends and phone book
contacts
- Ability to record voice messages
- Live video chat / video calling

Are there any risk?

Some of the more common risks include cyber bullying, experiencing or sharing
inappropriate content and chatting with strangers.

To help avoid these problems, the same rules should apply to all online interactions
for young people; only share data with those who you trust in real life, think before
you click and report any inappropriate data or messages to a trusted adult.

The Information Age

COMPUTERS

Invented by Charles Babbage, an English mechanical engineer and considered the

“father of computers”.This technology was designed for mathematical calculations
and simple decision-making capabilities.

THE INTERNET

Developed in California, US in the late 1960s the internet was mostly used by
scientists to communicate with other scientists.

WORLD WIDE WEB

Commonly known as ‘www’ was invented by Sir Tim Berners-Lee, a British computer
scientist thatstarted in 1990s and it was basically for commercial purposes.

MAIL OR E-MAIL

Communication was made easier through 'E-mail, the invention of which was
controversially claimed by VA Shiva Ayyadurai, an Indian-born American scientist
and entrepreneur. He started building the system in 1978 when he was 14 years old.
The copyright for the term E-mail was granted him in 1982.

FACEBOOK

Website launched in February 4, 2004 by a computer programmer, Mark Elliot

Zuckerberg together with his fellow students in Harvard College and with other
roommates. Facebook is a social networking website where people could one
another and meet on line to share each other's thoughts, ideas, experiences, photos,
and videos which they feel would be worth sharing.

TWITTER

Created in march 2006 by Jack Dorsey, Noah Gass, Biz Tone, and Evan Williams. It
is another networking website where people post and interact with message or
"tweets" which are restricted only for up to 140 characters and one of the visited
websites and is considered the “ SMS of the internet “.

YouTube

- Owned by Google
 - Developer(s): Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim
- Date Released: February 14, 2005

YouTube is a video sharing service where users can watch, like, share, comment
and upload their own videos. The video service can be accessed on PCs, laptops,
tablets and via mobile phones.

What Are the Main Functions of YouTube?

- Users can search for and watch videos

- Create a personal YouTube channel
- Upload videos to your channel
- Like/Comment/share other YouTube videos
- Users can subscribe/follow other YouTube channels and users
- Create playlists to organize videos and group videos together

Why Do Teens Like YouTube?

YouTube is a free to use service and a can be a great space for teens to discover
things they like. For many young people, YouTube is used to watch music videos,
comedy shows, how to guides, recipes, hacks and more. Teens also use the video-
sharing service to follow their favourite vloggers , subscribe to other YouTubers and
celebrities they are interested in.

What Are the Risks?

Inappropriate Content and Cyber Bullying

Remedy: Set up Parental Controls, Disable Comments on YouTube, or Use Safety

Mode.

Instagram

- Original Author(s): Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger

- Developer(s): Meta Platforms
- Date Released: October 6, 2010
- 11 years ago

Facebook, the social networking giant, acquired the company in 2012.

At its most basic, Instagram is a social networking app which allows its users to
share pictures and videos with their friends.

While its basic premise is the sharing of pictures, the site’s popularity comes from its
picture-editing functionality.

Once a user snaps a picture, Instagram filters – of which there are dozens – can
transform images in a manner reminiscent of old-fashioned Polaroid prints. The app
allows for the creation of personal profiles but also can be connected to existing
social networking profiles such as Facebook and Twitter, meaning users can share
their pictures across platforms.

What Are the Risks?

Initially, when a user signs up, his/her profile is automatically public – meaning that
the pictures or videos created and shared using the app can be seen by anyone. We
don’t need to outline to you the obvious privacy issues that this raises. See how to
make posts private at the end of this article. With an increase in new features such
as Instagram Questions, the risk is that they will be used negatively and to cyberbully
other users.

What Are the Benefits?

Instagram is all about encouraging creative originality. Indeed, Instagram is probably

among the reasons behind the resurgence in the popularity of photography. The app
allows its young users to share their lives in quirky, filtered photographs, hashtags or
short video clips and has certainly been put to good use by the majority of its users.

Young people also like the fact that they can follow famous people or influencers on
the app, keep up-to-date with new businesses, news and with friends.
 ENVIRONMENT VS TECHNOLOGY

What is Environment?

 the term 'environment' means, simply, 'nature':

 To those people, the environment is often closely related to notions of wilderness

and of pristine landscapes that have not been influenced - or, at least, that have
been imperceptibly influenced by human activities.

What is Technology?

Technology refers to the practical application of scientific knowledge for a

purpose.

 Technology is useful

 Technology enhances usefulness of goods and services in a certain matter. It

aims to create a great value .

 Technology helps us make our work easier. It can helps in many possible ways.

But like most things , technology also has DRAWBACKS

ADVANTAGE AND DISADVANTAGE OF TECHNOLOGY:

ADVANTAGE: Comfort- had made human life comfortable .Everything that you see
and use in our daily life is the gift of technology from the clothes we wear, the house
we live , the car we travel, the bridge ,flyovers and mobile phones we used are some
examples of successful implementation of technology

Education-virtual classes are delivered in many schools . Elearning is obviously a

new concept of schooling nowadays . Students may use internet to browse research,
topics and other studies to download important information in a form of text,audio or
video.

DISADVANTAGE: Pollution- too much use of technology has resulted an increase of

waste products into environment.

is beyond doubt, eased the life Of human beings .It has proved to be a great boom in
the development process of culture and society. However too much of anything is
bad . Technology should be used with due care and caution only for the purpose of
that are of benefit for humanity.

BENEFITS OF HUMAN TO ENVIRONMENT AND TECHNOLOGY:

Benefits of technology to human being

The benefits of technology on our lives today, can simply, not be ignored. The 21st
century has been called the era of science and technology (and now data),
especially with the new technology developments and advancements over the last
few decades.

The following are the benefits of technology to human being :

• Ease of Access to Information

• Saves Time
• Ease of Mobility
• Better Communication Means
• Cost Efficiency
• Innovation In Many Fields
• Improved Banking
• Better Learning Techniques
• Disable-d, Are Now Able-d
• Artificial Intelligence
•

Benefits of Environment to human being

• Our environment provides a wide range of benefits.

The following are the benefits of Environment to human being :

• Provides us the air we breathe, the food we eat and the water we drink.
• Provide us materials needed in our homes, at work and for leisure
activities
• Nature can prevent flooding by storing water, keep our water clean by
processing and diluting pollutants.
• Provide enjoyment, inspiration and a place to socialize.
• Environment is often managed to extract or create products that can be
sold.

HOW IS TECHNOLOGY HARMING THE ENVIRONMENT:

1. POLLUTION

Air, water, heat and noise pollution can all be caused by producing and using
technology.

2. CONSUMING RESOURCES

Non-renewable resources, including precious metals like gold and many others,
such as coal. Even some renewable resources, like trees and water, are becoming
contaminated or are used up faster than they can renew themselves because of
technology
3. DISRUPTING ECOLOGY

Clearing land where animals used to live to build factories and allowing pollution to
contaminate the food chain can greatly affect the environments natural cycles.

4. HEALTH HAZARD

Using toxic materials that can harm our health can cause cancer, and technology
addiction can lead to other health problems like obesity and carpal tunnel syndrome.

5. CARBON EMISSION

Carbon emissions get released into the atmosphere from things like cars, air
planes, power plants and factories. They also get released by people like you, when
you use a vehicle or electricity created from burning fossil fuels.

fossil fuels are used to produce energy; in the home they are burned to produce
heat, in large power stations they are used to produce electricity and they are also
used to power engines

 When fossil fuels are burned, they release large amounts of carbon dioxide, a
greenhouse gas, into the air. Greenhouse gases trap heat in our atmosphere,
causing global warming.

-mostly carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, are greenhouse gasses in the
atmosphere that trap and reflect heat and radiation back to the planet's surface.

6. TECHNO-TRASH

 also called electronic waste or e-waste, is any broken or unwanted electrical or

electronic device, and is currently the most rapidly-growing type of waste.

 Most electronics contain non-biodegradable materials, and heavy metals and toxic
materials like cadmium, lead and mercury. Over time, these toxic materials can leak
into the ground, where they can contaminate the water we drink, the plants we eat
and the animals that live around the area.

7. MINING FOR MINERALS

 comes with a high carbon cost. Huge machinery, usually powered by fossil fuels,
is usually involved and the processes involved often use a lot of water and are
hugely polluting.

 Mining is responsible for deforestation, landscape degradation, and water

pollution, as well as the release of vast quantities of carbon dioxide into the air.

 Technology is mineral intensive. On average, around 35 different materials are

used in smartphones. This is just one example of everyday technology.

Environmental Technolgy
Is also known as “green” or “clean” technology and refers to the development of
new technologies which aim to conserve, monitor or reduce the negative impact of
technology on the environment and the consumption of resources.

This section will focus on the positive impact of technologies on the environment as
a result of the development of Environmental technology such as:

 Renewable Energy
 Smart Technology
 Electric Vehicles and
 Carbon Dioxide Removal

1. RENEWABLE ENERGY

also known as 'clean energy, is energy that is collected from renewable resources
which are naturally replenished such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves, and
geothermal heat.

o Modern environmental technology has enabled us to capture this naturally

occurring energy and convert it into electricity or useful heat through devices such as
solar panels, wind and water turbines, which reflects a highly positive impact of
technology on the environment.

2. SMART TECHNOLOGY

Smart home technology uses devices such as linking sensors and other appliances
connected to the Internet of Things (loT) that can be remotely monitored and
programmed in order to be as energy efficient as possible and to respond to the
needs of the users.

o This environmental technology has been enabled by increased connectivity to the

internet as a result of the increase in availability of WiFi, Bluetooth and smart
sensors in buildings and cities. Experts are predicting that cities of the future will be
places where every car, phone, air conditioner, light and more are interconnected,
bringing about the concept of energy efficient 'smart cities'

3. ELECTRIC VEHICLES

The environmental technology of the electric vehicle is propelled by one or more

electric motors, using energy stored in rechargeable batteries. Since 2008, there has
been an increase in the manufacturing of electric vehicles due to the desire to
reduce environmental concerns such as air pollution and greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere.

o Electric vehicles demonstrate a positive impact of technology on the environment

because they do not produce carbon emissions, which contribute towards the
greenhouse effect' and leads to global warming. Furthermore, they do not contribute
to air pollution, meaning they are cleaner and less harmful to human health, animals,
plants, and water.

4. CARBON DIOXIDE REMOVAL

‘Direct Air Capture’ (DAC) – Environmental Technology removing Carbon from the
atmosphere

o The environmental technology is known as ‘Direct Air Capture’ (DAC) and is the
process of capturing carbon dioxide directly from the ambient air and generating a
concentrated stream of CO2 for sequestration or utilization. The air is then pushed
through a filter by many large fans, where CO2 is removed. It is thought that this
technology can be used to manage emissions from distributed sources, such as
exhaust fumes from cars. Full-scale DAC operations are able to absorb the
equivalent amount of carbon to the annual emissions of 250,000 average cars.
 SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND THE FUTURE: NEW MENTALITY AND NEW
PRACTICES

Predictions for the future: eight in ten Americans think that custom organ
transplants will be a reality in the next 50 years, but just one in five think that
humans will control the weather

Americans envision a range of probable outcomes when asked for their own
predictions about whether or not some "futuristic" inventions might become reality in
the next half-century. Eight in ten believe that people needing organ transplants will
have new organs custom built for them in a laboratory, but an equal number believe
that control of the weather will remain outside the reach of science. And on other
issues-for example, the ability of computers to create art rivalling that produced by
humans-the public is much more evenly split.

A substantial majority of Americans (8196) believe that within the next 50 years
people needing an organ transplant will have new organs custom made for them in a
lab. Belief that this development will occur is especially high among men (86% of
whom believe this will happen).

Working alongside our partners in the PREFET project, Trilateral support

researchers in early detection of promising ideas accelerating the kick-off of their
development thus increasing the probabilities of becoming successful in the creation
of long-term impact, both for science and society.

Trilateral has also aimed to facilitate the incorporation and implementation of

responsible research and innovation (RRI) into the Future and Emerging
Technologies context to better align processes and outcomes, with societal values,
needs and expectations. This focus will also help stakeholders to make better-
informed decisions And to their future in related to their future investments and
development activities.

U.S. Views of Technology and the Future

Science in the next 50 years

BY AARON SMITH

The American public anticipates that the coming half-century will be a period of
profound scientific change, as inventions that were once confined to the realm of
Science fiction come into common usage. This is among the main findings of a new
national survey by the Pew Research Center and Smithsonian magazine, which
asked Americans about a wide range of potential scientific developments-from near-
term advances like robotics and bioengineering, to more "futuristic" possibilities like
teleportation or space colonization. In addition to asking them for their predictions
about the long-term future of scientific advancement, we also asked them to share
their own feelings and attitudes toward some new developments that might become
common features of American life in the relatively near future.

Overall, most Americans anticipate that the technological developments of the

coming half-century will have a net positive impact on society. Some 59% are
optimistic that coming technological and scientific changes will make life in the future
better, while 30% think these changes will lead to a future in which people are worse
off than they are today.

Many Americans pair their long-term optimism with high expectations for the
inventions of the next half century. Fully eight in ten (81%) expect that within the next
50 years people needing new organs will have them custom grown in a lab, and half
(51%) expect that computers will be able to create art that is indistinguishable from
that produced by humans. On the other hand, the public does see limits to what
science can attain in the next 50 years. Fewer than half of Americans-39% -expect
that scientists will have developed the technology to teleport objects, and one in
three (33%) expect that humans will have colonized planets other than Earth. Certain
terrestrial challenges are viewed as even more daunting, as just 19% of Americans
expect that humans will be able to control the weather in the foreseeable future.

But at the same time that many expect science to produce great breakthroughs in
the coming decades, there are widespread concerns about some controversial
technological developments that might occur on a shorter time horizon:

 66% think it would be a change for the worse if prospective parents could alter
the DNA of their children to produce smarter, healthier, or more athletic
offspring.
 65% think it would be a change for the worse if lifelike robots become the
primary caregivers for the elderly and people in poor health.
 63% think it would be a change for the worse if personal and commercial
drones are given permission to fly through most U.S. airspace.
 53% of Americans think it would be a change for the worse if most people
wear implants or other devices that constantly show them information about
the world around them. Women are especially wary of a future in which these
devices are widespread.
Many Americans are also inclined to let others take the first step when it comes to
trying out some potential new technologies that might emerge relatively Soon. The
public is evenly divided on whether or not they would like to ride in a driverless car:
48% would be interested, while 50% would not. But significant majorities say that
they are not interested in getting a brain implant to improve their memory or mental
capacity (29% would, 72% would not) or in eating meat that was grown in a lab (just
20% would like to do this).

Asked to describe in their own words the futuristic inventions they themselves would
like to own, the public offered three common themes: 1) travel improvements like
flying cars and bikes, or even personal space crafts; 2) time travel; and 3) health
improvements that extend human longevity or cure major diseases.

At the same time, many Americans seem to feel happy with the technological
inventions available to them in the here and now-11% answered this question by
saying that there are no futuristic inventions that they would like to own, or that they
are "not interested in futuristic inventions." And 28% weren’t sure what sort of
futuristic invention they might like to own.

These are among the findings of a new survey of Americans' attitudes and
expectations about the future of technological and scientific advancements,
conducted by the Pew Research Center in partnership with Smithsonian magazine.
The survey, conducted February 13-18, 2014 by landline and cell phones among
1,001 adults, examined a number of potential future developments in the field of
science and technology-some just over the horizon, others more speculative in
nature. The survey was conducted in English and Spanish and has a margin of error
of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.

Among the detailed findings of this survey:

A majority of Americans envision a future made better by advancements in

technology

Technological change and the future

% who feel that technological changes will lead to a future where people's lives are..

Mostly better Mostly worse

Total 59% 30%

Gender

Male 67 25

Female 51 36

Age

18-29 59 29

30-49 60 32

50-64 59 30

65+ 56 28

Education

HS grad or less 56 35
Some college 56 33

College graduate 66 21

Household income

Less than $30,000 52 38

s30,000-$49,999 63 27

$50,000-$74,999 63 28

$75,000 or more 67 22

Pew Research Center, February 13-18 2014 survey, n=1,001.

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

When asked for their general views on technology's long-term impact on life in the
future, technological optimists outnumber pessimists by two-to-one. Six in ten
Americans (59%) feel that technological advancements will lead to a future in which
people's lives are mostly better, while 30% believe that life will be mostly worse.

Demographically, these technological optimists are more likely to be men than

Women, and more likely to be college graduates than to have not completed college.
Indeed, men with a college degree have an especially sunny outlook: 79% of this
group expects that technology will have a mostly positive impact on life in the future,
while just 14% expects that impact to be mostly negative. Despite having much
different rates of technology use and ownership, younger and older Americans are
equally positive about the long-term impact of technological change on life in the
future.

Future technology: 22 ideas about to change our world

The future is coming, and sooner than you think. These emerging technologies will
change the way we live, how we look after our bodies and help us avert a climate
disaster.

The future always feels like it's running late. Human imagination works harder than
human enterprise, but at any given moment, scientists and engineers are
redesigning future technology and the world around us in big and small ways. We
don't realise it because we've lived through it, but the rate of progress over the last
half century has been abnormal - staggering in fields as broad as computing.
medicine, communications and materials science.

Still, nobody has a personal jetpack that runs on perpetual energy, so the work must
continue. We've put our futurologist's far-seeing goggles on and put together a list of
some of the most exciting future technology that will change our world. From bionic
human beings to technology that could fix the climate crisis, these are some of the
biggest of big ideas.

Lab-made dairy products

You've heard of cultured "meat" and Wagyu steaks grown cell by cell in a laboratory,
but what about other animal-based foodstuffs? A growing number of biotech
companies around the world are investigating lab-made You've heard of cultured
"meat" and Wagyu steaks grown cell by cell in a laboratory, but what about other
animal-based foodstuffs? A growing number of biotech companies around the world
are investigating lab-made dairy, including milk, ice-cream, cheese and eggs.
Andmore than one think they've cracked it.

The dairy industry is not environmentally friendly, not even close. It's responsible for
4 per cent of the world's carbon emissions, more than air travel and shipping
combined, and demand is growing for a greener splash to pour into our tea cups and
cereal bowls.

Compared with meat, milk isn't actually that difficult to create in a lab. Rather than
grow it from stem cells, most researchers attempt to produce it in a process of
fermentation, looking to produce the milk proteins whey and casein. Some products
are already at market in the US, from companies such as Perfect Day, with ongoing
work focused on reproducing the mouthfeel and nutritional benefits of regular Cow's
milk.

Beyond that, researchers are working on lab-produced mozzarella that melts

perfectly on top of a pizza, as well other cheeses and ice-cream.

Digital "twins" that track your health

In Star Trek, where many of our ideas of future technology germinated, human
beings can walk into the medbay and have their entire body digitally scanned for
signs of illness and injury. Doing that in real life would, say the makers of Q Bio,
improve health outcomes and alleviate the load on doctors at the same time.

The US company has built a scanner that will measure hundreds of biomarkers in
around an hour, from hormone levels to the fat building up in your liver to the
markers of inflammation or any number of cancers. It intends to use this data to
produce a 3D digital avatar of a patient's body - known as a digital twin - that can be
tracked over time and updated with each new scan.

Q Bio CEO Jeff Kaditz hopes it will lead to a new era of preventative, personalised
medicine in which the personalised medicine in which the e vast amounts of data
collected not only help doctors prioritise which patients need to be seen most
urgently, but also to develop more sophisticated ways of diagnosing illness.

Green funerals
Sustainable living is becoming a priority for individuals squaring up to the realities of
the climate crisis, but what about eco-friendly dying? Death tends to be a carbon-
heavy process, one last stamp of our ecological footprint. The average cremation
reportedly releases 400kg of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, for example. So
what's a greener way to go?

In Washington State in the US, you could be composted instead. Bodies are laid in
chambers with bark, soil, straw and other compounds that promote natural
decomposition. Within 30 days, your body is reduced to soil that can be returned to a
garden or woodland. Recompose, the company behind the process, claims it uses
an eighth of the carbon dioxide of a cremation.

An alternative technology uses fungi. In 2019, the late actor Luke Perry was buried in
a bespoke "mushroom suit" designed by a start-up called Coeio. The company
claims its suit, made with mushrooms and other microorganisms that aid
decomposition and neutralise toxins that are realised when a body usually decays.

Most alternative ways of disposing of our bodies after death are not based on new
technology; they're just waiting for societal acceptance to catch up. Another example
is alkaline hydrolysis, which involves breaking the body down into its chemical
components over a six-hour process in a pressurised chamber. It's legal in a number
of US states and uses fewer emissions Compared with more traditional methods.

Artificial eyes

Bionic eyes have been a mainstay of science fiction for decades, but now real-world
research is beginning to catch up with far-sighted storytellers. A raft of technologies
is coming to market that restore sight to people with different kinds of vision
impairment.

In January 2021, Israeli surgeons implanted the world's first artificial cornea into a
bilaterally blind, 78-year old man. When his bandages were removed, the patient
could read and recognise family members immediately. The implant also fuses
naturally to human tissue without the recipient's body rejecting it.

Likewise in 2020, Belgian scientists developed an artificial iris fitted to smart contact
lenses that correct a number of vision disorders. And scientists are even working on
wireless brain implants that bypass the eyes altogether.

Researchers at Montash University in Australia are working on trials for a system

whereby users wear a pair of glasses fitted with a camera. This sends data directly
to the implant, which sits on the surface of the brain and gives the user a
rudimentary sense of sight.

Airports for drones and flying taxis

Our congested cities are in desperate need of a breather and relief may come from
the air as opposed to the roads. Plans for a different kind of transport hub - one for
delivery drones and electric air-taxis - are becoming a reality, with the first Urban Air
Port receiving funding from the UK government.

It's being built in Coventry. The hub will be a pilot scheme and hopefully a proof of
concept for the company behind it. Powered completely off-grid by a hydrogen
generator, the idea is to remove the need for as many delivery vans and personal
cars on our roads, replacing them with a clean alternative in the form of a new type
of small aircraft, with designs being developed by Hyundai and Airbus, amongst
others.

Infrastructure is going to be important. Organisations like the Civil Aviation Authority

are looking into the establishment of air corridors that might link a city centre with a
local airport or distribution centre.

Smart sutures that detect infections

How does a doctor know when a patient's wound is infected? Well, they could wait
for the patient to start displaying signs of an infection, or they could talk to a high
school student from Ohio who has developed an ingenious and lifesaving invention.

At the age of 17, Dasia Taylor invented sutures that change colour from bright red to
dark purple when a wound becomes infected, detecting a change in the skin's pH
level. When a wound from an injury or surgery becomes infected, its pH rises from 5
to 9. Taylor found that beetroot juice naturally changes colour at a pH of 9, and used
that as a dye for suture material.

While other solutions are available smart sutures coated with a conductive material
can sense the status of a wound by changes in electrical resistance and send a
message to a smartphone - these are less helpful in developing countries where
smartphone use is not widespread.

Energy storing bricks

Scientists have found a way to store energy in the red bricks that are used to build
houses. Researchers led by Washington University in St Louis, in Missouri, US, have
developed a method that can turn the cheap and widely available building material
into "smart bricks" that can store energy like a battery.

Although the research is still in the proof-of-concept stage, the scientists claim that
walls made of these bricks "could store a substantial amount of energy" and can "be
recharged hundreds of thousands of times within an hour". Red brick device
developed by chemists at Washington University in St. Louis lights up a green light-
emitting diode D'Arcy laboratory/ Washington University in St. Louis. The
researchers developed a method to convert red bricks into a type of energy storage
device called a Super capacitor.
This involved putting a conducting coating, known as Pedot, onto brick samples,
which then seeped through the fired bricks' porous structure, converting them into
"energy storing electrodes". Iron oxide, which is the red pigment in the bricks, helped
with the process, the researchers said.

Sweat powered smartwatches

Engineers at the University of Glasgow have developed a new type of flexible Super
capacitor, which stores energy, replacing the electrolytes found in conventional
batteries with sweat.

It can be fully charged with as little as 20 microlitres of fluid and is robust enough to
survive 4,000 cycles of the types of flexes and bends it might encounter in use.

The device works by coating polyester cellulose cloth in a thin layer of a polymer,
which acts as the super capacitor’s electrode. As the cloth absorbs its wearers
sweat, the positive and negative ions in the sweat interact with the polymer's surface,
creating an electrochemical reaction which generates energy.

"Conventional batteries are cheaper and more plentiful than ever before but they are
often built using unsustainable materials which are harmful to the environment," says
Professor Ravinder Dahiya, head of the Bendable Electronics and Sensing
Technologies (Best) group, based at the University of Glasgow's James Watt School
of Engineering.

That makes them challenging to dispose of safely and potentially harmful in

wearable devices, where a broken battery could spill toxic fluids on to skin.

"What we've been able to do for the first time is show that human sweat provides a
real opportunity to do away with those toxic materials entirely, with excellent
charging and discharging performance.

Self-healing 'living concrete'

Bacteria growing and mineralising in the sand- hydrogel structure© Colorado

University Boulder/PA

Scientists have developed what they call living concrete by using sand, gel and
bacteria. Researchers said this building material has structural load-bearing function,
is capable of self-healing and is more environmentally friendly than concrete - which
is the second most-consumed material on Earth after water.

The team from the University of Colorado Boulder believe their work paves the way
for future building structures that could "heal their own cracks, suck up dangerous
toxins from the air or even glow on command".

Living robots
Douglas Blackiston/Tufts University/PA

Tiny hybrid robots made using stem cells from frog embryos could one day be used
to swim around human bodies to specific areas requiring medicine, or to gather
micro plastic in the oceans.

These are novel living machines," said Joshua Bongard, a computer scientist and
robotics expert at the University of Vermont, who co-developed the millimetre-wide
bots, known as xenobots.They're neither a traditional robot nor a known species of
animal. It's a new class of artefact: a living, programmable organism."

Tactile virtual reality

Researchers from North-western University have developed a prototype device

which aims to put touch within VR's reach, using a flexible material fitted with tiny
vibrating components that can be attached to skin. The system, known as epidermal
VR, could be useful in other cases as well, from a child touching a display relaying
the gesture to a family member located elsewhere, to helping people with
amputations renew their sense of touch.

In gaming, it could alert players when a strike occurs on the corresponding body part
of the game character. The team's design features 32 vibrating actuators on a thin
15cm by 15cm silicone polymer which sticks on to the skin without tape or straps and
is free of large batteries and wires.

It uses near-field communication (NFC) technology which is used in many

smartphones for mobile payment today to transfer the data. The result is a thin,
lightweight system that can be worn and used without constraint indefinitely," says
Professor John A Rogers, who worked on the project.

Scientists hope that the technology could eventually find its way into clothing,
allowing people with prosthetics to wear VR shirts that communicate touch through
their fingertips.

Internet for everyone

We can't seem to live without the internet (how else would you read
sciencefocus.com?), but still only around half the world's population is Connected.
There are many reasons for this, including economic and social reasons, but for
some the internet just isn't accessible because they have no Connection.

Google is slowly trying to solve the problem using helium balloons to beam the
internet to inaccessible areas, while Facebook has abandoned plans to do the same
using drones, which means companies like Hiber are stealing a march. They have
taken a different approach by launching their own network of shoebox-sized
microsatellites into low Earth orbit, which wake up a modem plugged into your
computer or device when it flies Over and delivers your data.
Their satellites orbit the Earth 16 times a day and are already being used by
organisations like The British Antarctic Survey to provide internet access to very
extreme of our planet.

TOP 20 Hottest Trends in Science and Technology

Based on intensive research, consultation, validation and prioritisation the final result
is a list of top 20 trends with major potential for growth and impact from 2020
towards 2025:

(1) Information and Communications Technology (ICT):

(2) BIO, Health & Life Sciences;

(3) Environment, Energy and climate Change.

Information and Communications Technology (ICT)

1. 3DPrinting Molecules

2. Adaptive Assurance of Autonomous Systems

3. Neuromorphic Computing (new types of hardware) and Biomimetic AI

4. Limits of Quantum Computing: Decoherence and use of Machine Learning

5. Ethically Trustworthy AI & Anonymous Analytics

6. Beyond 5G Hardware

7. New Approaches to Data Interoperability in IOT

BIO, Health & Life Sciences

8. Cognitive Augmentation & Intelligence Amplification

9.Regenerative Medicine

10. Drug Discovery & Manufacture Using AI

11. Bioinformatics & AI in Omics

12. Cellular Senescence & Life Extension

13. Bio Robotics/Bionics

ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY &CLIMATE CHANGE

14. Energy Efficient Water Treatments

15. Algae Against Climate Change

16. High-Temperature Superconductivity & Twist Electronics

17.Self-Healing Batteries

18. Net Zero Concepts (buildings) & Beyond Smart Grids

19. Arctic Climate Change

20. Zero Power Sensors & Ocean Wiring and Sensing

How we identified the top 20 trends

PREFET took a unique approach to identification and analysis of early signals for
promising future and emerging Technologies . The project used four layers of
analysis:

1. Massive data analysis through a semi-automated scanning (Intelligence

Augmentation, IA)

2. Manual scanning through desktop research (Human Intelligence) which provided

an essential creative dimension.

3. Crowd (expert) feedback (Social Intelligence) provided through PREFET's Open

Trend Consultation (OTC) with over 3000 responses which helped us to broaden the
expertise available for trend validation, prioritisation and augmentation.

4. Unconventional expert feedback (Expert Intelligence) during the Trendington

Event (Madrid, 13-14 November 2020) with experts in ICT, Health & Life Sciences,
Environment, Energy & Climate Change, RRI, ethics of technology, but also
architects, artists, CSOs, designers, and futurologists that helped us to provide
further insights, a better understanding of embedded opportunities and challenges
(technological as well as legal, ethical and societal), and mapping the synergies and
multidisciplinary of trends. Trending ton was complemented with in- depth interviews
with other non-usual stakeholders (designers, artists and architects).

We have developed tools and methodologies to pre-validate new and emerging

trending technologies with high impact potential and helped researchers improve
their project building processes for advancing Future and Emerging Technologies
(FET) trends, such as better identification of ideas at early stages, good planning
and effective decision making in their development.

For example, we have started the IdeAcademy, a platform for researchers to grow
their ideas and projects around top 20 FET ends selected by PREFET. The
IdeAcademy provides materials, courses and events for researchers to:

1. Build R&D projects around Top FET Trends as areas with greater potential for
long- term R&D focused on creating strong positive social or environmental impact.
2. Create "creativity play grounds" to think together about project ideas. This offers
good opportunities especially to young and mid-career researchers looking for areas
to focus their activities and efforts in the Coming years

3. Increase their chances to reach long-term scope and get financial support.

4. Leverage deep tech collaboration and community building around new

technological paradigms.

5. Achieve interdisciplinary, more and more important for the development of deep
and disruptive technologies, increasing in complexity from scientific and
technological perspectives and in terms of their potential impact in society, politics
and environment.

6. Reflect on the potential impacts technologies can have on Earth and Humanity,
considering the in UN's Sustainable Development Goals as well as "Ethics by
design.

How Technology Shapes Thoughts, Feelings, and Actions

Alexandra Michel

July 17, 2018

TAGS: AGING ATTENTION| NEUROSCIENCE TECHNOLOGY

Technology is not just changing the way people interact with the world, it's also
changing the way scientists study human behavior and the brain. New technologies
are allowing psychological scientists to take their research out of the lab and "into the
wild," where theories can be tested in real world settings.

San Francisco is a world-famous hub of technology, and a fitting locale for a

symposium on research on tech and the San Francisco is a world-famous hub o
technology, and a fitting locale for a symposium on research on tech and the human
experience. In a Cross-Cutting Theme Program at the 30tn APS Annual Convention,
speakers presented interdisciplinary work on the ways technology shapes learning,
attention, behavior, and our social lives from childhood through old age.

Technology Meets Neuroscience

Technology is allowing neuroscientist Melina Uncapher of University of California,

San Francisco (UCSF) to take her science out of the brain-imaging lab and directly
to the classrooms she studies.

Melina Uncapher said "It's not feasible, obviously, to bring an MRI scanner into every
classroom, but we can start to use some of these mobile technologies. To map the
cognitive domains of the brain," Uncapher explained.
The Neuroscape Center at UCSF has developed ACE, a tablet-based cognitive
assessment, which has allowed Uncapher and her colleagues to study executive
function within a group of over 1,000 elementary and middle school students across
nine different Bay Area schools. These customized Neuroscape video games use
adaptive algorithms to adjust the level of game difficulty, allowing researchers to use
the same exact cognitive tasks for children of all ages cross experiments, and across
time. Critically, this allows high-precision, high- dimensional measurement of
cognition across development.

Uncapher and her team hope to use a technique called joint modeling to create
models around the behavioral measures they've obtained, and how they relate to
brain structure and function. The researchers ultimate goal is to create a sustainable
cognitive enhancement loop whereby each child receives the most effective
intervention (technology mediated or curriculum-based) to enhance their executive
functioning- ultimately improving their learning, education, and life outcomes.

Aging and Tech (Sara Czaja)

Rates of technology use ranging from smart phones to the Internet are significantly
lower among older adults compared to younger generations, University of Miami
psychological scientist Sara J. Czaja pointed out. Czaja's field- based research
demonstrates that technology potentially can help older adults avoid social isolation,
as well as improve their access to vital medical care and services.

In a trial, Czaja and colleagues provided video phones to people caring for someone
with dementia. The research team found that providing caregivers with access to
interventions such as counseling via the phone was linked to several positive
outcomes, including a reduced sense of burden.

"The thing they liked the most were the support groups, because they didn't have to
leave their home to participate in the groups, which is problematic for many
caregivers," Czaja explained.

Czaja is also working with Prism, a custom software system designed for use in the
homes of socially isolated older adults. After a year-long trial, not only did
participants learn how to use a computer, they felt less isolated and reporter
increased emotional well-being.

Access to technology helps many people overcome logistic challenges, facilitating

access to services, socialization, and information, Czaja said.

Virtual Humans

Jonathan Gratch's lab at the University of Southern California builds strikingly

realistic and interactive virtual humans reminiscent of the sentient robots on the
television show "West world."
"We build these social artifacts that have embodiment of various kinds and then we
have people interact with those systems and examine the theoretical implications,
Gratch, a professor of computer science and psychology, explained.

These virtual humans have been used to help people learn negotiation tactics, to tell
the stories of Holocaust survivors, and to help people disclose symptoms that could
lead to the diagnosis of a stigmatized mental illness.

Building on social psychological theory Gratch's team trained a machine learning

algorithm to mimic the verbal and non-verbal habits of non-judgmental listeners.
Using a camera and microphone, this social agent also tracked relevant social
information from their human partner's voice, facial expressions, posture, and
gestures in real time. A recently replicated study found that, in responding to
questions related to symptoms of post- traumatic stress disorder, people disclosed
twice as much intimate information to the virtual listener compared to what could be
gleaned from an official online disclosure form.

Your Attention Please(Gloria Mark)

It's hard to believe that the internet has been in popular use for little more than two
decades, psychological scientist Gloria Mark (University of California, Irvine) said.
But what does it mean for our lives, and specifically our attention spans, to be
immersed in digital media day in and day out?

"Working in a digital environment leads people to be polychronic, which means

working on multiple tasks at the same time" Mark, an expert on human- computer
interaction, explained. "Human beings can't literally work on multiple tasks at the
same time, but what they generally do is switch their attention very rapidly between
different sources of info."

In a study observing the behavior of information workers, Mark and colleagues found
that on the job people had a median attention duration of about 40 seconds. That is,
they spent around 40 seconds on any given window on their computer before
switching to something else.

Additional work on interruptions suggests that rather than being driven to distraction
by external sources such as digital notifications or a busybody colleague, we seem
to be conditioned to work with a short attention duration.

"One of the most surprising things about this research," Mark said, "is that people
interrupt themselves almost as much as they get interrupted from external Sources.

How does science and technology create new ways of living?

Science and technology feed off of one another, propelling both forward. Scientific
knowledge allows us to build new technologies, which often allow us to make new
observations about the world, which, in turn, allow us to build even more scientific
knowledge, which then inspires another technology .. and so on.

Science and technology on fast Forward(excerpt from UNDERSTANDING

SCIENCE)

Science and technology feed off of one another, propelling both forward Scientific
knowledge allows us to build new technologies, which often allow us to make new
observations about the world, which, in turn, allow us to build even more scientific
knowledge, which then inspires another technology and so on. As an example, well
start with a single scientific idea and trace its applications and impact through
several different fields of science and technology, from the discovery of electrons in
the 1800s to modern forensics and DNA fingerprinting

From cathodes to crystallography

We pick up our story in the late 1800s with a bit of technology that no one much
understood at the time, but which was poised to change the face of science: the
cathode ray tube (node A in the diagram below). This was a sealed glass tube
emptied of almost all air - but when an electric Current was passed through the tube,
it no longer seemed empty. Rays of eerie light shot across the tube. In 1897,
physicists would discover that these cathode rays were actually streams of electrons
(B). The discovery of the electron would, in turn, lead to the discovery of the atomic
nucleus in 1910 (C). On the technological front, the cathode ray tube would slowly
evolve into the television (which is constructed from a cathode ray tube with the
electron beam deflected in ways that produce an image on a screen) and,
eventually, into many sorts of image monitors (D and E). But that’s not all ..

In 1895, the German physicist Wilhem Roentgen noticed that his cathode ray tube
seemed to be producing some other sort of ray in addition to the lights inside the
tube. These new rays were invisible but caused a screen in his laboratory to light
up. He tried to block the rays, but they passed right through paper, copper, and
aluminum, but not lead. And not bone. Roentgen noticed that the rays revealed the
faint shadow of the bones in his hand! Roentgen had discovered X-rays, a form or
electromagnetic radiation (F). This discovery would, of course, shortly lead to the
invention of the X-ray machine (G), which would in turn, evolve into the CT scan
machine (H) - both of which would become essential to non-invasive medical
diagnoses. And the CT Scanner itself would soon be adopted by other branches of
science – for neurological research, archaeology, and paleontology, in which CT
scans are used to study the interiors of fossils ().

Additionally, the discovery of X-rays would eventually lead to the development of X-

ray telescopes to detect radiation emitted by objects in deep space (). And these
telescopes would, in turn, shed light on black holes, supernovas, and the origins of
the universe (K). But that’s not al..
The discovery of X-rays also pointed William and William Bragg (a father-son team)
in 1913 and 1914 to the idea that X-rays could be used to figure out the
arrangements of atoms in a crystal (). This works a bit like trying to figure out the size
and shape of a building based on the shadow it casts you can work backwards from
the shape of the shadow to make a guess at the building's dimensions. When X-rays
are passed through a crystal, some of the X-rays are bent or spread out i.e,
diffracted) by the atoms in the crystal. You can then extrapolate backwards from the
location of the deflected X-rays to figure out the relative locations of the crystal
atoms. This technique is known as X-ray crystallography, and it has profoundly
influenced the course of science by providing snapshots of molecular structures.

Perhaps most notably, Rosalind Franklin used X-ray crystallography to help uncover
the structure of the key molecule of life: DNA. In 1952, Franklin, like James Watson
and Francis Crick, was working on the structure of DNA- but from a different angle.
Franklin was painstakingly producing diffracted images of DNA, While Watson and
Crick were trying out different structures using tinker-toy models of the component
molecules. In fact. Franklin had already proposed a double helical form for the
molecule when, in 1953, a colleague showed Franklin's most telling image to
Watson. That picture convinced Watson and Crick that the molecule was a double
helix and pointed to the arrangement of atoms within that helix. Over the next few
weeks, the famous pair would use their models to correctly work out the chemical
details of DNA (M)

The impact of the discovery of DNA's structure on scientific research, medicine,

agriculture, conservation, and other social issues has been wide-ranging- so much
so, that it is difficult to pick Out which threads of influence to follow. To choose just
one, understanding the structure of DNA (along With many other inputs) eventually
allowed biologists to develop a quick and easy method for Copying very small
amounts or DNA, known as PCR the polymerase chain reaction (N). This technique
(developed in the 19808), In turn, allowed the development of DNA fingerprinting
technologies, which have become an important part of modern criminal
investigations (0). As shown by the flowchart above, scientific knowledge (like the
discovery of X-rays) and technologies (like the invention of PCR) are deeply
interwoven and feed off one another. In this case, tracing the influence of a single
technology, the cathode ray tube, over the course of a century has taken us on a
journey spanning ancient fossils, supernovas, the invention of television, the atomic
nucleus, and DNA fingerprinting. And even this complex network is incomplete.
Understanding DNAS structure, for example, led to many more advances besides
just the development of PCR. And similarly, the invention of the CT scanner relied on
much more scientific knowledge than just an understanding of how X-ray machines
work Scientific knowledge and technology forma maze of connections in which every
idea is connected too every other idea through a winding path.

Scientific advancements and technological breakthroughs are the driving

forces behind almost every industry on the planet.
As populations grow, natural resources diminish, disease prevention and treatment
become more complex, climates continue to change, and evolutionary and universal
mysteries continue to be explored, science and technology will remain essential to
expanding human knowledge and solving the challenges of the 21st century.

Crossing geographies and markets, our science technology practice collaborates

and innovates globally. Using a diversity of interdisciplinary design skills and though
leadership, we assist educators, corporations, governments and healers to discover
and create the products, services and solutions of tomorrow. Our clients success has
helped us become a top 10 global leader for science and technology design,
according to World Architecture.