Looking at a century of so-called progress
Posted 02.05.2009 at 11:15 am
2 Comments
Science has come a long way in the last century. Advances in communication, changes in who funds scientific research and how, and who actually conducts the research have all changed the scientific community. Shifts in views and an increasing acceptance of people from various cultures and demographics have also propelled science into a new era. In most cases, science is no longer misused to reinforce racial or gender stereotypes or otherwise support social injustice. Although by no means an exhaustive list, here are 10 examples illustrating how science has changed, for better or worse.
What do you think are the most significant changes -- good and bad -- that have taken place?
Want to learn more about breakthroughs in electronics, medicine, nanotech, and more?
Subscribe to Popular Science today, for less than $1 per issue!
Subscribe to Popular Science today, for less than $1 per issue!
2 Comments
To comment, please Login.
|
|
|
|
|
|
June 2013: American Energy Independence
Five amazing, clean technologies that will set us free, in this month's energy-focused issue. Also: how to build a better bomb detector, the robotic toys that are raising your children, a human catapult, the world's smallest arcade, and much more.
Popular on Popsci
Most Commented
Science
- FYI: Could Climate Change Cause More (And Bigger) Tornadoes?
- Scientists Create First Cloned Human Embryo
- State Drops Charges Against High School Student Arrested For Science Experiment
- Cold Fusion Machine Gets Third-Party Verification, Inventor Says
- Giving White People The Illusion Of Darker Skin Makes Them Less Racist
- Space Tourism's Black Carbon Problem
- FYI: Do Wind Farms Make It Less Windy?
- What Modern Humans Can Learn From The Neanderthals' Extinction
- How Do You Make A Painkiller Addiction-Proof?
- Climate Change Will Increase Heat-Related Deaths In NYC, Study Says
Most Emailed
Science
- This 3-D Printed Bioplastic Windpipe Saved A Baby's Life
- Bacteria Found Growing In Subzero Arctic Frost, Which Is Good News For Mars Life
- What Salamanders Could Teach Scientists About Growing Human Limbs
- Scientists Train People To Not Be Jerks
- Discovered: Molecule That Triggers Itchiness
- 8 Ridiculous Nutrition Myths Debunked
- Scientists Find One Gene Responsible For All White Tigers
- Cloned Human Embryo Study Comes Under Fire
- Why Do Cicadas Invade In Such Crazy Numbers?
- FYI: How Does Chewing Gum Freshen Breath?
Most Viewed
Science
- This 3-D Printed Bioplastic Windpipe Saved A Baby's Life
- Bacteria Found Growing In Subzero Arctic Frost, Which Is Good News For Mars Life
- What Salamanders Could Teach Scientists About Growing Human Limbs
- Scientists Train People To Not Be Jerks
- Discovered: Molecule That Triggers Itchiness
- 8 Ridiculous Nutrition Myths Debunked
- Scientists Find One Gene Responsible For All White Tigers
- Cloned Human Embryo Study Comes Under Fire
- Why Do Cicadas Invade In Such Crazy Numbers?
- FYI: How Does Chewing Gum Freshen Breath?
Online Content Director: Suzanne LaBarre | Email
Senior Editor: Paul Adams | Email
Associate Editor: Dan Nosowitz | Email
Assistant Editor: Colin Lecher | Email
Assistant Editor: Rose Pastore | Email
Contributing Writers:
Kelsey D. Atherton | Email
Francie Diep | Email
Shaunacy Ferro | Email
Today on PopSci.com
Copyright © 2012 Popular Science
A Bonnier Corporation Company. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
I'm sorry, but trying to classify the hugely diverse fields of study known collectively as Science as "better" or "worse" is the worst kind of UNscientific drivel I've ever heard. This kind of subjective judgment has little place in real science.
@SaulRosenberg
I think you've missed the point.
The goal is not to classify everything in science as good or bad. There certainly is something scientific in analyzing past events and isolating paradigm shifts or foibles in science. The whole business of looking back at data and analyzing trends and changes is a worthwhile intellectual venture, no questions. Especially when the information is then passed to a broad audience including those who have no prior knowledge of these events. That's science journalism.