Bulacan State University

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY STS 101

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 Bulacan State University
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY STS 101

Historical Antecedents in the

course of Science and Technology

Title of the lesson: Introduction to Science, Technology, and Society

Time frame: 3 hours

INTRODUCTION

What is Science?

Science is intertwined with our everyday lives. It affects us all, 24/7, from the
moment we wake up, all day long and through the night. Your cellphone, laptop,
earthquake report, the medicine that treat your fever, be it in tablet form or syrup,
have all been brought to you courtesy of science. Today, the modern world would
not be called "Modern" if it is not for technology enabled by science.

As people's scientific knowledge increased, more complicated machines became a

reality. The impact of new technology in our daily lives is to give less work and jobs
that can be done faster.

OBJECTIVES

After studying this module, you should be able to:

1. Define and identify the difference and interrelatedness of Science and

Technology;
2. Relate Science, Technology, and Society;
3. Give examples of the latest developments in Science and Technology;
4. Infer how Science and Technology can be utilized for the advantage of
humanity.

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 Bulacan State University
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY
STS 101

DISCUSSION

What is Science? Science is a systematized body of knowledge. It is an organized

and dynamic inquiry (following scientific method). It is knowledge gained through
observation and experimentation. Science is a human activity; scientists. It is a social
enterprise; people, knowledge, skills, facilities, apparatuses, and technologies.
Science leads to the formation of concepts, methods, principles, theories, law, and
procedures that seek to describe and explain nature and its phenomena.

The major branches of science include:

♦ Chemistry- the science of the chemical composition and the changes

accompanied.

♦ Biology- the study of living things. It has three main branches:

1) Botany is the study of plants where most of the medicines that we have were
derived from these plants.
2) Zoology is the science of animals;
3) Microbiology is the science of microorganisms.

♦ Physics- is the science of energy and its transformation.

Some of the notable products of physics are jets and LASER.

Derived from the Greek word technologia, Technology means the "systematic
treatment of art." Technology as materials products; results of scientific inquiry;
hardware produced by a scientist. Technology is applying knowledge in solving
scientific and practical problems that will help humans survive and improve their lives
—technology as human cultural activities or endeavors. Technology as a social
enterprise – Technology is a complex system of knowledge, skills, people, methods,
tools, materials, and resources applied and allocated to the development, operation,
and production of a new or improved product, process, or services—technology as
modern technology based on the advances of science since the end of WWII to the
present.

What are the uses of technology? It is enumerated as follows:

1) Technology helps in the discovery and production of medicine,

2) Technology helps to preserve food, and
3) Technology helps us to develop new sources of energy.

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 Bulacan State University
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY
STS 101
The laptop is one of the products of technology. Below are the products of
technology. Many lives have been saved, thanks to modern technology. Today, a
blocked artery’s blood flow can be restored through the process of angioplasty.

Science was the philosophy domain, while technology was the domain of tanners,
millers, and goldsmiths.

Now, let us proceed to what Science, Technology, and Society (STS) mean.
Science, technology, and society (STS), also referred to as science and technology
studies, study how social, political, and cultural values affect scientific research and
technological innovation and how they affect society. STS scholars are interested in
various problems, including the relationships between scientific and technological
innovations and culture and the directions and risks of science and technology. The
field of STS is related to science's history and philosophy, although with a much
broader emphasis on the social aspects of science and technology.

Science, technology, and society refer to the interaction between science and
technology and social, cultural, political, and economic contexts which shape and are
shaped by them, specific examples throughout human history of scientific and
technological developments.

SUMMARY

In a nutshell,
Science, the systematized body of knowledge that it is, has been gathered for a long
period of time.
Major branches of science are:
1. Chemistry - the study of the composition of substances and their
changes.
2. Biology - the study of living things. It has two main components:
a. Botany is the study of plants from the active substances found in
plants.
b. Zoology is the study of animals
3. Physics - the study of matter, energy, motion, and forces.
Technology is applied to science.
It is developed as a result of scientific discoveries.
Science, technology, and society (STS) study how social, political, and cultural
values affect scientific research and technological innovation and affect the
community. It also refers to the interaction between science and technology and
cultural, social, political, and economic contexts which shape and are shaped by
them, specific examples throughout human history of scientific and technological
developments.

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 Bulacan State University
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY
STS 101

Cradles of Early Science

Title of the lesson: Ancient, Middle and Modern Ages

Time frame: 3 hours

INTRODUCTION

A number of technological innovations begun at the rise of intelligent human beings.

As they continue to advance and encounter problems down their path, they began
inventing solutions to make their life easier. They are responsible for how our world
has changed and evolved throughout the years; they are responsible for our
civilization; they are responsible for how people live and the known structure of our
society.

Our five senses are vital for early humans to find their bearing and understand how
things work around them. The Egyptians were the pioneers that have explained the
existence of our universe. The earliest civilization known to recorded history started
with the Egyptians and Sumerians five millenniums ago. Have you wondered how
these early civilizations pushed beyond their known realities and explored the
possibility of a universe, a concept that is alien to them? Here we shall embark on a
journey through time as we discuss the STS of the ancient, middle, and modern
ages.

OBJECTIVES

After studying this module, you should be able to:

1. Describe the development of Science and Technology during Ancient,

Middle, Modern Ages;
2. Identify inventions and discoveries that changed the world over the course
of history.

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 Bulacan State University
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY
STS 101

DISCUSSION

Ancient Times
Sumerian Civilization

photo from google image

Sumeria, found on the southernmost tip of the ancient Mesopotamia, 3500 BCE, is a
great city with a civilization known as Sumer. The concept of inventing the wheel
came during 3500 B.C. the Sumerian people are perplexed about the limitations on
just how much weight humans can carry over land. The idea came about to connect
a non-moving platform to a rolling cylinder—the sail and plow, which improved trade
and farming.

The Sumerians introduced the 360-day calendar, and they devised the Sexagesimal
number system, it is a number system through which counting is in units and
intervals of sixty (60). This has become the basis for graduating the circumference of
a circle to 360 degrees and the sixty-minute equal graduations to an hour duration in
time.

Sumerians developed the first writing system known as cuneiform. It utilizes word
pictures and triangular symbols that are carved on clay using wedge instruments and
then left to dry. This was used to keep records of things with great historical value or
their everyday life.

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 Bulacan State University
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY
STS 101

Babylonian Civilization

Photo from Google Images

Babylonian civilization emerged from about 3,500 until 500 BC. They were located
on the border of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers in Iraq. The Babylonians dig canals
and developed earthen dikes to irrigate their crops and provide water to their
livestock. They innovate upon the Sumerian sexagesimal system. Astronomers of
Babylon compiled lists of planets and stars which somewhat accurately pictured the
positions of the celestial bodies of our solar system in terms of 12 equally-spaced
signs, each one associated with a zodiacal constellation.

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 Bulacan State University
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY
STS 101

Egyptian Civilization
Ancient Egypt began between 5,000-3,100BC
and is found in the northeast area of
continental Africa. The River Nile has sustained
the Egyptians with the necessary water
requirements to support agricultural activities.
Egyptians produced a variety of earthenware
and pottery items. They also worked on metals
to produce tools, weapons, and agricultural
implements. They constructed dwellings made
of reeds and air-dried mud bricks. They built
the famous pyramids, and they devised a 365-
day calendar. This solar calendar has 365-day
per cycle. The year is made up of three
seasons that have a hundred and twenty days
each; this includes an intercalary month
consisting of epagomenal days of five; this is
treated separately from the year proper.
Another contribution is the papyrus. They were
able to process the Papyrus plant in order to produce thin sheets on which one could
write down things. Egyptians developed a system of writing using symbols, known as
hieroglyphs.

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 Bulacan State University
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY
STS 101

Greek Civilization
This civilization shaped the modern intellectual world we
know today. It emerged at around 1,100 BC; the Greek
civilization focused on scientific works of great Greek
philosophers in the likes of Socrates, Thales, Hippocrates,
Archimedes, Aristotle, Archimedes, and Ptolemy. Their
contributions became the foundation and pillars of western
ideals and civilization.

The alarm clock was invented by the ancient Greeks.

They made use of water that dropped into drums, which
sounded the alarm. Another contribution of Greek civilization is windmills, which
were used in agricultural processing like milling of grains.

Roman Civilization

Roman's great contribution is the

Gazette, the first newspaper which
contains announcements of the
Roman Empire to the people. These
were engraved in metal or stone
tablets and then publicly displayed.
Record-keeping was easier when
the paper was invented; the Roman
Empire was able to produce the first
book or codex, which was
composed of papyrus pages bound
together with an animal skin as its
cover.

The Romans devised their own number system specifically to address the need for a
standard counting method that would meet their increasing communication and trade
concerns.

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 Bulacan State University
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY
STS 101

The Chinese Civilization

The oldest civilization in Asia is Chinese civilization. Silk is one of the things that
connect Far East China to the world. Another was the use of acupuncture, which
uses needles in which Chinese doctors used this to treat diseases. Tea, which is
made of crushed dried tea leaves, was developed, and the first tea was drunk by a
Chinese emperor.

Gun powder was developed by Chinese alchemists. It is made up of charcoal, sulfur,

and potassium nitrate, which can generate large amounts of heat and gas in an
instant.

China is also famous for its largest and most extensive infrastructure, the great wall
of china. It is made of stone, brick, wood, earth, and other materials.

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 Bulacan State University
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY
STS 101

Medieval/ Middle Ages

There’s a point in time between ancient times and the modern times that we live in
today. This time period is reflected to be one of the most creative times in mankind’s
history. It is believed that it’s here that sparked the beginning of the first industrial
revolution.

Johan Gutenberg and the Printing Press

Johan Gutenberg was able to invent the first printing

press which is a more reliable way of printing using a
cast type. He utilized wooden machines that
extracted juices from fruits, attached to them a metal
impression of the letters, and pressed firmly the cast
metal into a piece of paper, which then made an
exact impression on paper.

The printing press was invented to address the need

for publishing books that would spread information to
many people at a faster rate.

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 Bulacan State University
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY
STS 101

Zacharias Janssen and the Compound Microscope

Guided by the principles used for the

invention of eyeglasses in earlier years, the
compound microscope was developed by
Zacharias Janssen. The microscope was
key in discovering new means in preventing
and curing various illnesses. It is a device
that magnify things invisible to the naked
eye.

Galileo Galilei and the Telescope

Galileo Galilei improved the telescope. He
used that telescope to discovered new
celestial bodies such as four of the moons
circling Jupiter, to study Saturn, the
observation of the phases of Venus, and the
study sunspots on the Sun and found
support for a heliocentric solar system,
Copernicus’ theory.

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 Bulacan State University
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY
STS 101

Modern Times

The rise of the modern industry was witnessed in the 19 th century. The effects of
scientific and technological developments are evident in the areas of communication,
transportation, and electricity. Food processing and medicine posed some of the
bigger challenges since health was of great concern.

Louis Pasteur and Pasteurization

A French Biologist, Microbiologist, and

Chemist by the name of Louis Pasteur found
a way to solve the problem of food
deterioration for dairy products due to
spoiling. These goods need to be consumed
immediately after production, or they would
cause illnesses like diphtheria, food
poisoning, and typhoid fever. The answer is
pasteurization, wherein it is a process of
heating dairy products to kill the harmful bacteria that cause them to spoil faster.

Alexander Graham Bell and the telephone

Alexander Graham Bell was the first to be

awarded a patent for the electric telephone in
1876. Though several inventors did
pioneering work on electronic voice
transmission, the invention quickly took off
and revolutionized global business and
communication.

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 Bulacan State University
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY
STS 101

Alexander Fleming and the Penicillin

In 1928, the Scottish scientist Alexander

Fleming noticed a bacteria-filled Petri dish in
his laboratory, the sample had become
contaminated with mold, and everywhere
the mold was, the bacteria were dead. That
antibiotic mold turned out to be the fungus
Penicillium, and over the next two decades,
chemists purified it and developed the drug
Penicillin, which fights a huge number of
bacterial infections in humans without
harming the humans themselves. Penicillin
was being mass-produced and advertised in
1944.

Samuel M. Kier and the Kerosene

Samuel M. Kier was able to invent

kerosene by refining petroleum.
Illuminating oil was the other name of
kerosene because it was used to provide
lighting to homes and later was applied for
heating purposes.

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 Bulacan State University
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY
STS 101

SUMMARY

This module tells us that:

. Ancient Times

 Sumeria is located on the southernmost tip of ancient Mesopotamia. The

concept of inventing the wheel came during 3500 B.C. The idea came to
connect a non- moving platform to a rolling cylinder. The sail and plow which
improved trade and farming. Sumerians developed the first writing system
known as cuneiform

 Babylonian civilization emerged from about 3,500 until 500 BC and is located
in the border of the famous Euphrates and Tigris rivers in Iraq. Dig canals and
developed earthen dikes to irrigate their crops and provide water to their
livestock. They adopted the Sumerian sexagesimal system. Babylonians
astronomers compiled lists of planets and stars which describe the positions
of the Sun, Moon, and planets in terms of 12 equally-spaced signs, each one
associated with a zodiacal constellation.

 Ancient Egypt began between 5,000-3,100BC and is situated in the

Northeastern part of Africa. They built the famous pyramids, and they devised
a 365-day calendar. This calendar was a solar calendar with a 365-day year.
Another contribution is the papyrus. They were able to process the Papyrus
plant in order to produce thin sheets on which one could write down things.
Egyptians developed a system of writing using symbols, known as
hieroglyphics.

 Greek civilization emerged at around 1,100 BC. Scientific works of wise and
gifted Greeks such as Thales, Socrates, Hippocrates, Aristotle, Archimedes,
and Ptolemy served as the foundation and pillars of western civilization. The
alarm clock was invented by the ancient Greeks. Another contribution of
Greek civilization is the creation of windmills that were used in agricultural
processing like milling of grains.

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 Bulacan State University
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY
STS 101

 One of the major contributions of the Romans is the Gazette, the first
newspaper which contains announcements of the Roman Empire to the
people. The Roman Empire was able to produce the first book or codex,
which was composed of papyrus pages bound together with an animal skin as
its cover. The Romans devised their own number system specifically to
address the need for a standard counting method that would meet their
increasing communication and trade concerns.

 The oldest civilization in Asia is the Chinese civilization. One of the things
that connected Far East China to the world is silk. Another was the use of
acupuncture, which uses needles in which Chinese doctors used this to treat
diseases. Tea, which is made of crushed dried tea leaves, was developed,
and the first tea was drunk by a Chinese emperor. Gun powder was
developed by Chinese alchemists; the great wall of china is made with stone,
brick, wood, earth, and other materials.

Medieval/ Middle Ages

 The period of history between the Ancient and Modern times is the Medieval
or Middle Ages, also known as the Dark ages. It is considered to be one of
the creative periods in the history of humans and said to be the start of the
first industrial revolution.

 Johan Gutenberg and the Printing Press Johan Gutenberg was able to invent
the first printing press, which is a more reliable way of printing using a cast
type. The printing press was invented to address the need for publishing
books that would spread information to many people at a faster rate.

 Zacharias Janssen and the Compound Microscope. Guided by the principles

used for the invention of eyeglasses in earlier years, the compound
microscope was developed by Zacharias Janssen. The microscope was key
in discovering new means in preventing and curing various illnesses. It is a
device that magnifies things invisible to the naked eye.

 Galileo Galilei and the Telescope Galileo Galilei improved the telescope. He
used that telescope to discovered new celestial bodies such as discover four
of the moons circling Jupiter, to study Saturn, to observe the phases
of Venus, and to study sunspots on the Sun and found support for a
heliocentric solar system, a Copernicus’ theory.

23
 Bulacan State University
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY
STS 101

Modern Times

 The rise of the modern industry was witnessed in the 19 th century. The effects
of scientific and technological developments are evident in the areas of
communication, transportation, and electricity. Food processing and medicine
posed some of the bigger challenges since health was of great concern.

 Louis Pasteur and Pasteurization, a French Biologist, Microbiologist, and

Chemist by the name of Louis Pasteur, found a way to solve the problem of
food deterioration for dairy products due to spoiling. These goods need to be
consumed immediately after production, or they would cause illnesses like
diphtheria, food poisoning, and typhoid fever. The answer is pasteurization,
wherein it is a process of heating dairy products to kill the harmful bacteria
that cause them to spoil faster.

 Alexander Graham Bell and the telephone Alexander Graham Bell was the
first to be awarded a patent for the electric telephone in 1876. Though several
inventors did pioneering work on electronic voice transmission, the invention
quickly took off and revolutionized global business and communication.

 Alexander Fleming and the Penicillin in 1928, the Scottish scientist Alexander
Fleming noticed a bacteria-filled Petri dish in his laboratory, the sample had
become contaminated with mold, and everywhere the mold was, the bacteria
were dead. Penicillin was being mass-produced and advertised in 1944.

 Samuel M. Kier and the kerosene Samuel M. Kier was able to invent
kerosene by refining petroleum. Illuminating oil was the other name of
kerosene because it was used to provide lighting to homes and later was
applied for heating purposes.

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 Bulacan State University
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY
STS 101

GLOSSARY
Acupuncture an ancient Chinese medical technique for relieving pain, curing disease,
and improving general health.

Biology the study of living things and their vital processes.

Botany the branch of biology that deals with the study of plants, including their
structure, properties, and biochemical processes.

Chemistry the branch of science that deals with the properties, composition, and
structure of substances (defined as elements and compounds), the
transformations they undergo, and the energy that is released or
absorbed during these processes.

Computer a device for processing, storing, and displaying information.

Heliocentrism a cosmological model in which the Sun is assumed to lie at or near a

central point (e.g., of the solar system or of the universe) while the
Earth and other bodies revolve around it.

Intercalation method of inserting days or months into a calendar to bring it into line
with the solar year.

Laser light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation

Leyden Jar an old glass device for storing static electricity.

Microbiology the study of simple life-forms that include bacteria, archaea, algae,
fungi, protozoa, and viruses.

Physics the branch of science that deals with the structure of matter and the
interactions between the fundamental constituents of the observable
universe.

Sexagesimal a number system with a place-value system with the base of 60.
Number
System

Zoology the branch of biology that studies the members of the animal kingdom
and animal life in general.

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 Bulacan State University
ENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY
STS 101

REFERENCES: 
 
A. (2009, October 22). internet vs. printing press. Art85||nicki’s Blog.
https://nickipeterson.wordpress.com/2009/10/21/internet-vs-printing-press/ 
Bautista, B. E. A. (2018). Science technology and society. MaxCor Publishing House. 
Larabee, L. W. (1961). The Papers of Benjamin Franklin Volume 4; July 1750- June 1753 (4th ed.).
pp. 360–369  
Novak, M. C. (n.d.). A Brief History of Communication and Innovations that Changed the Game.
Learn G2. https://learn.g2.com/history-of-communication 
Rader, A. (1997–2001). The Scientific Method for Kids. Andrew Rader Studios. 
The Scientific Method. (n.d.). Kapili. https://www.kapili.com/s/scimethod.html 

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