SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND SOCIETY

THE INFORMATION AGE 11. The medium selects the message

INTRODUCTION Computer
. Highly modernized, automated, data-driven, and . A computer is an electronic device that stores and processes
technologically advanced - these bests describe our society data (information). It runs on a program that contains the
nowadays, as evidenced by how information could be exact, step - by - step directions to solve a problem (UShistory
transferred or shared quickly. org, 2017)
. The information aged is defined as a "period starting in the
last quarter of the 20th century when information became TYPES OF COMPUTER
effortlessly accessible through publications and through the 1. PERSONAL COMPUTER (PC)
management of information by computers and computer . It is a single-user instrument, PCs were first known as
networks." microcomputers since they were a complete computer but
. The information age is also called the Digital Age and the built on a smaller scale than the enormous system operated
New Media Age because it was associated with the by most businesses.
development of computers. 2. DESKTOP COMPUTER
. It is described as a PC that is not designed for portability.
JAMES R. MESSENGER The assumption with a desktop is that it will be set up in a
" who proposed the Theory of Information Age in 1982, "the permanent spot. A workstation is simply a desktop computer
Information age is a true new aged based upon the that has a more powerful processor, additional memory, and
interconnection of computers via telecommunications, with enhanced capabilities for performing special group of tasks,
basis. Furthermore, the primary factors driving this new age such as 3D
forward are convenience and user friendliness which, in turn, graphics or game development.
will create user dependence." 3. LAPTOPS
. These are portable computers that integrate the essentials
As man evolved, information and its dissemination has also of a desktop computer in a battery - powered package, which
evolved in many ways. Eventually, we no longer kept them to are somewhat larger than a typical hardcover book. They are
ourselves; instead, we share them and manage them in commonly called notebooks.
different 4. PERSONAL DIGITAL ASSISTANTS (PDAs)
means. Information got ahead of us. It started to grow at a . These are tightly integrated computers usually have no
rate we were unprepared to handle. Because of the keyboards but rely on a touch screen for user input. PDAs are
abundance of information, it was difficult to collect and typically smaller than a paperback, lightweight, and battery-
mariage them powered.
starting in the 1960s and 1970%. 5. SERVER
" It refers to a computer that has been improved to provide
RICHARD WURMAN network services to other computers. Servers usually boast
Called it "information anxiety." in the 19905, information powerful processors, tons of memory, and large drives.
became the currency in the business world, information was 6. MAINFRAMES
the preferred medium of exchange and the information These are huge computer systems that an entire room. They
managers served as information officers. are used especially large firms to describe the large,
expensive machines that process millions of transactions
"TRUTHS OF THE INFORMATION AGE". every day. The term "mainframe" has been replaced by
ROBERT HARRIS DETAILED SOME FACTS ON THE enterprise server.
INFORMATION AGE. 7. WEARABLE COMPUTERS
" They involve materials that are usually integrated into cell
1. Information must compete phones, watches and other small objects or places. They
2. Newer is equal to truer perform common computer applications such as databases,
3. Selection is a viewpoint email, multimedia, and schedulers.
4. The media sells what the culture busy
5. The early word get the perm THE WORLD WIDE WEB INTERNET
6. You are what you eat and so is your brain  Several historians trace the origin of the internet to
7. Anything in great demand will be counterfeited Claude F. Shannon, an American Mathematicians
8. Ideas are seen as controversial who was considered as the "Father of Information
9. Undead information works ever on Theory". He worked at Bell Laboratories and at age
10. Media presence created the story 32, he published a paper proposing that
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND SOCIETY

information can be quantitatively encoded as a information technology to store, organize, and

sequence of ones and zeroes. analyze was amount of biological data which is
 The internet is a worldwide system of available in the forms of sequences and structures
interconnected networks that facilitate data of proteins - the building blocks of organisms and
transmission among innumerable computers. It was nucleic acids – the information carrier.
developed during the 1970s by the Department of  The human brain cannot store all the genetic
Defense. In case of an attack, military advisers sequences of organisms and this huge amount of
suggested the advantage of being able to operate data can only be stored, analyzes, and be used
on one computer from another terminal. efficiently with the use of computers.
 " In the early days, the Internet was used mainly by
scientists to communicate with other scientists. The  SWISS-PROT protein sequence database, was
Internet remained under government control until initiated in 1986.
1984. (Rouse, 2014).  Some of the software tools which are handy in the
analysis include:
 One early problem faced by internet users was  BLAST (used for comparing sequences)
speed. Phone lines could only transmit information  Annotator [an interactive genome analysis tool)
at a limited rate, The development of fiber optic  GeneFinder (tool to identify coding regions and
cables allowed for billions of bits of information to splice sites)
be received every minute.  The sequence Information generated by the human
 Sergey Brin and Larry Page, directors of a Stanford genome research initiated in 1988, has now been
research project, built a research engine that listed stored as primary information source for future
results to reflect page popularity when they applications in medicine.
determined that the most popular results to  Moreover, from the pharmaceutical industry's point
frequently be the most usable, Google is now the of view, bioinformatics is the key to rational drug
world's most popular search engine, accepting discovery.
more than 200 million queries daily.  Molecular modelling, which requires a lot of
 Back then, new forms of communication were also calculations, has become faster due to the
introduced. Electronic mail, or email, was a suitable advances in computer processors and its
way to send a message to fellow workers, business architecture (Madan,n.d).
partners, or friends. Message could be sent and  In plant biotechnology, bioinformatics is found to
received at the convenience of the individual. be useful in the areas of identifying diseases genes
and designing plants with high nutrition value
 A letter that took several days to arrive could be (Madan, n.d.).
read in minutes. Internet service providers like
America Online and CompuServe set up electronic HOW TO CHECK THE RELIABILITY OF WEB SOURCES
chat rooms. These were open areas of cyberspace The internet contains a vast collection of highly valuable
where interested parties could join in a information, but it may also contain unreliable, biased
conversation with perfect strangers. "Surfing the information that mislead people.
net" became a pastime in and of itself.
 Consequently, companies whose businesses are * Who is the author of the article/site?
built on digitized information have become valuable - How to find out?
and powerful in relatively short period of time; the Look for an "About" or "More About the Author" link at the
current Information Age has spawned its own breed top, bottom, or sidebar of the web page. If no Information
of wealthy influential brokers from Microsoft's Bill about the authoris) of the page is provided, be suspicious
Gates to Apple's Steve jobs to Facebook's Mark
Zuckerberg. One can also visit the university library and seek help from
 Nowadays, crimes in various forms are rampant librarians as they are knowledgeable and in the library has a
because of the use of social media. Cyber bullying is rich collection of online library resources that are very useful
an issue that poses alarm worldwide. for academic and research purposes.

APPLICATIONS OF COMPUTERS IN SCIENCE AND RESEARCH

 One of the significant applications of computers for
science and research is evident in the field of
bioinformatics. Bioinformatics is the application if
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND SOCIETY

If we fail to keep the process of taking care of the ecosystem,

it is us who are actually putting our lives at risk. Significant
BIODIVERSITY AND THE HEALTHY SOCIETY decline in biodiversity has direct human impact when
ecosystem in its insufficiency can no longer provide the
BIODIVERSITY physical as well as social needs of human beings. Indirectly,
. All the different kinds of life you will find in one area-the changes in the ecosystem affect livelihood, income, and on
variety of animals, plants, fungi, and even microorganisms occasion, may even cause political conflict. (WHO)
like bacteria that make up our natural world.
. Each of these species and organisms work together in As humans put increasing pressure on the planet, using and
pecosystems, like an intricate web, to maintain balance and consuming more resources than ever before, we risk
support life. upsetting the balance of ecosystems and losing biodiversity.
· Biodiversity supports everything in nature that we need to WWF’s 2022 Living Planet Report found an average 69%
survive: food, clean water medicine, and shelter. decline in global population of mammals, fish, birds, reptiles,
and amphibians since 1970.
LEVELS OF BIODIVERSITY
– the genetic variation within a population The 2019 landmark Global Assessment Report by the
– the variety of species in a community Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem
– the variety of communities in an ecosystem Services reported 1 million animal and plant species are now
threatened with extinction-the highest number in human
GENETIC DIVERSITY A term used to describe the variation in history.
the DNA sequence in each of our genomes. Genetic variation
is what makes us Biodiversity at Risk
• The extinction of many species in a relatively short period
SPECIE DIVERSITY The measure of biological diversity of time is called a mass extinction.
observed in a particular ecological community indicating a • Earth has experienced several mass extinctions, each
number of species or species richness in an ecological area. probably caused by a global change in climate
• It takes millions of years for biodiversity to rebound after a
ECOSYSTEM DIVERSITY The variety of different habitats, mass extinction.
communities, and ecological processes. A biological
community is defined by the species that occupy a particular Current Extinctions
area and the interactions between those species. . Scientists are warning that we are in the midst of another
mass extinction.
ECOSYSTEM A geographic area where plants, animals and · The rate of extinctions is estimated to have increased by a
other organisms as well as the weather and landscapes , multiple of 50 since 1800, with up to 25 percent of all species
work/ interact together to form a bubble of life. Ecosystem on Earth becoming extinct between 1800 and 2100. The
contains biotic or living things and abiotic or non living things. current mass extinction is different from those of the past
because humans are the primary cause of the extinctions.
Biotic factors include plants, animals, and other living
organism. How Do Humans Cause Extinctions?
Abiotic factors include rock, temperature, and humidity. . In the past 2 centuries, human population growth has
Ecosystem can be large and/small accelerated and so has the rate of extinctions.
. The major causes of extinction today are – the destruction
Biodiversity is essential for the processes that support all life of habitats - the introduction of nonnative species - pollution
on Earth, including humans. Without a wide range of animals, - the overharvesting of species
plants and microorganisms, we cannot have the healthy
ecosystems that we rely on to provide us with the air we Threats to Biodiversity
breathe and the food we eat. • Habitat loss and destruction
• Alterations in ecosystem composition
Therefore, we, as human inhabitants of the ecosystem, must • Over-exploitation
preserve and conserve the biodiversity of all creatures. In • Pollution and contamination
simple terms, it is true that people will always depend on • Global climate change
biodiversity on the wholeness of our being and in our
everyday lives. Biodiversity at Risk Habitat Destruction and Fragmentation
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND SOCIETY

• As human populations grow, we use more land to build areas has been linked to lower instances of disease such as
homes and harvest resources. Lyme disease and malaria. While the exact origin of the virus
• In the process, we destroy and fragment the habitats of causing COVID-19 is still unknown, 60% of infectious diseases
other species. originate from animals and 70% of emerging infectious
• It is estimated that habitat loss causes almost 75% of the diseases originate from wildlife. As human activities encroach
extinctions now occurring. upon the natural world, through deforestation and
urbanisation, we reduce the size and number of ecosystems.
Biodiversity at Risk Alterations in Ecosystem Composition As a result, animals live in closer quarters with one another
•Alterations and sudden changes, either within species and with humans, creating ideal conditions for the spread of
groups or within the environment, could begin to change zoonotic diseases.
entire ecosystems. Alteration in ecosystem are critical factor
contributing to species and habitat loss 3. Biodiversity benefits business
According to the World Economic Forum's recent Nature Risk
Biodiversity at Risk Rising Report, more than half of the world's GDP ($44 trillion)
• Over-exploitation is highly or moderately dependent on nature. Many
•Over-hunting, over-fishing, or over-collecting of species can businesses are, therefore, at risk due to increasing nature loss.
quickly lead to its decline. Changing consumption patterns of Global sales of pharmaceuticals based on materials of natural
humans is often cited as the key reason for this unsustainable origin are worth an estimated $75 billion a year, while natural
exploitation of natural resources. wonders such as coral reefs are essential to food and tourism.

Biodiversity at Risk 4. Biodiversity provides livelihoods

• Pollution and Contamination Humans derive approximately $125 trillion of value from
•Biological systems respond slowly to changes in their natural ecosystems each year. Globally, three out of four jobs
surrounding environment. Pollution and contamination cause are dependent on water while the agricultural sector employs
irreversible damage to species and varieties over 60% of the world's working poor. In the Global South,
forests are the source of livelihoods for over 1.6 billion
Biodiversity at Risk people. In India, forest ecosystems contribute only 7% to
• Global Climate Change India's GDP yet 57% of rural Indian communities' livelihoods.
•Both climate variability and climate change cause
biodiversity loss. Species and populations may be lost 5. Biodiversity protects us
permanently if they are not provided with enough time to Biodiversity makes the earth habitable. Biodiverse
adapt to changing climate condition. ecosystems provide nature- based solutions that buffer us
from natural disasters such as floods and storms, filter our
Biodiversity and Human Health Healthy communities rely on water and regenerate our soils. The clearance of over 35% of
well-functioning ecosystems. They provide clean air, fresh the world's mangroves for human activities has increasingly
water, medicines and food security. put people and their homes at risk from floods and sea-level
rise. If today's mangroves were lost, 18 million more people
Biodiversity and Human Health 5 reasons why biodiversity would be flooded every year (an increase of 39%) and annual
matters – to human health, the economy and your damages to property would increase by 16% ($82 billion).
wellbeing 1. Biodiversity ensures health and food security Protecting and restoring natural ecosystems is vital to fighting
Biodiversity underpins global nutrition and food security climate change. Nature-based solutions could provide 37% of
Biodiversity underpins global nutrition and food security. the cost-effective CO2 mitigation needed by 2030 to maintain
Millions of species work together to provide us with a large global warming within 2°C.
array of fruits, vegetables and animal products essential to a
healthy, balanced diet. Biodiversity and Health
Changes in biodiversity will expose human beings to different
2. Biodiversity helps fight disease kinds of diseases. Changes to biodiversity can have severe
Higher rates of biodiversity have been linked to an increase in and
human health. First, plants are essential for medicines. For unpredictable effects on the health of all living things,
example, 25% of drugs used in modern medicine are derived including human beings. According to research, loss in
from rainforest plants while 70% of cancer drugs are natural biodiversity affects human health , such as mental health
or synthetic products inspired by nature. This means that ailments, depression, Parkinson's disease, heart disease,
every time a species goes extinct, we miss out on a potential cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma,
new medicine. Second, biodiversity due to protected natural
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND SOCIETY

diabetes, obesity, occupational injuries, dysentery, arthritis,

and malaria.

What is the importance of biodiversity in science and

technology? Biological diversity is the “infrastructure” that
supports life on our planet: the air we breathe, the food we APPROACHES IN GENE THERAPY
eat and the water we drink are only possible as long as we
have healthy biodiversity..

GENE THERAPHY

Gene therapy is the use of DNA as a pharmaceutical agent to

treat disease

 Gene therapy is the introduction of genes into

EX VIVO GENE THERAPY
existing cells to prevent or cure a wide range of
diseases.
 It is a technique for correcting defective genes
responsible for disease development.
 The first approved gene therapy experiment
occurred on September 14, 1990 in US, when
Ashanti DeSilva was treated for ADA-SCID.

TYPES OF GENE THERAPY

SOMATIC CELL GENE GERM LINE GENE THERAPY

THERAPY
EXAMPLE OF EX VIVO GENE THERAPY
 1st gene therapy - to correct deficiency of enzyme,
Therapeutic genes Therapeutic genes Adenosine deaminase (ADA).
transferred into the transferred into the germ  Performed on a 4yr old girl Ashanthi DeSilva.
somatic cells. cells.  Was suffering from SCID- Severe Combined
Immunodeficiency.
Eg. Introduction of genes Eg. Genes introduced into
into bone marrow cells, eggs and sperms.  Caused due to defect in gene coding for ADA.
blood cells, skin cells etc.  Deoxy adenosine accumulates and destroys T
It is heritable and passed lymphocytes.
Will not be inherited later on  Disrupts immunity, suffer from infectious diseases,
generations. to later generations. and die at young age.

At present all researches For safety, ethical and

directed to correct genetic technical reasons, it is not
defects in somatic cells. being attempted at
present.

Ex vivo gene therapy: transfer of genes to cultured cells and

reinsertion.
IN VIVO GENE THERAPY
In vivo gene therapy: direct delivery of genes into the cells of
a particular tissue in the body · Direct delivery of therapeutic gene into target cell into
patients body.
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND SOCIETY

· Carried out by viral or non viral vector systems.  AAV enters host cell, becomes double stranded and
gets integrated into chromosome.
. It can be the only possible option in patients where
individual cells cannot be cultured in vitro in sufficient
numbers (e.g. brain cells).

· In vivo gene transfer is necessary when cultured cells cannot

4. HERPEX SIMPLEX VIRUS VECTOR
be re-implanted in patients effectively.
 Viruses which have natural tendency to infect a
EXAMPLE OF IN VIVO GENE THERAPY
particular type of cell.
- Therapy for cystic fibrosis
 They infect and persist in nervous cells.
· In patients with cystic fibrosis, a protein called cystic fibrosis
transmembrane regulator (CFTR) is absent due to a gene NON VIRAL VECTOR SYSTEM
defect.
1. PURE DNA CONSTRUCT
· In the absence of CFTR chloride ions concentrate within the
cells and it draws water from surrounding.  Direct introduction of pure DNA construct into
target tissue .
. This leads to the accumulation of sticky mucous in  Efficiency of DNA uptake by cells and expression
respiratory tract and lungs. rather low.
 Consequently, large quantities of DNA have to be
· Treated by in vivo replacement of defective gene by
injected
adenovirus vector.
2. LIPOPLEXES

 Lipid DNA complexes: DNA construct surrounded by

artificial lipid layer
 Most of it gets degraded by lysosomes

METHODS OF GENE DELIVERY

Physical mehods
Gene Gun

Employs a high-pressure delivery system to shoot tissue with

gold or tungsten particles that are coated with DNA

Microinjection

Process of using a glass micropipette to insert microscopic

VIRAL VECTORS
substances into a single living cell.
1. RETROVIRUS VECTOR SYSTEM
Normally performed under a specialized optical microscope
 The recombinant retroviruses have the ability to setup called a micromanipulator.
integrate into the host genome in a stable fashion.
CHEMICAL METHODS
 Can carry a DNA of size – less than 3.4kb
 Replication defective virus particles USING DETERGENT MIXTURES
 Target cell- diving
Certain charged chemical compounds like Calcium
2) ADENO VIRUS VECTOR SYSTEM phosphates are mixed with functional cDNA of desired
function.
 Adeno virus with a DNA genome – good vectors.
 Target- non dividing human cell. The mixture is introduced near the vicinity of recipient cells.
 Eg. Common cold adenovirus.
The chemicals disturb the cell membrane, widens the pore
3) ADENO ASSOCIATED VIRUS VECTOR side and allow cDNA to pass thru the cell.

 It is a human virus that can integrate into LIPOFECTION

chromosome 19.
 It is a single stranded, non pathogenic small DNA It is a technique used to inject genetic material into a cell by
virus. means of liposomes
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND SOCIETY

Liposomes are artificial phospholipids vesicles used to  Should people be allowed to use gene therapy to
deliver a variety of molecule including DNA into the cells enhance basic human traits such as height,
intelligence etc.?
 Is it alright to use the therapy in the prenatal stage
of development in babies?

CONCLUSIONS

OTHER TYPES OF GENE THERAPY Theoretically, gene therapy is the permanent solution for
genetic diseases.
GENE AUGMENTATION THERAPY
But it has several complexities. At its current stage, it is not
Most common form of gene therapy accessible to most people due to its huge cost.

Foreign gene replaces missing or defective gene. A breakthrough may come anytime and a day may come
when almost every disease will have a gene therapy
Eg. Replacement of defective p53 gene by a normal one in
liver cancer. GENE INHIBITION Gene therapy have the potential to revolutionize the practice
of medicine
GENE INHIBITION THERAPY

Done to block the overproduction of some proteins

2 types- antigene and antisense therapy

Antigene- blocks transcription using antigene oligonucleotide

Antisense- blocks translation using antisense oligonucleotide

DISADVANTAGES

 Long lasting therapy is not achieved by gene

therapy; Du to rapid dividing of cells benefits of
gene therapy is short lived.
 Immune response to the transferred gene
stimulates a potential risk to gene therapy.
 Viruses used as vectors for gene transfer may cause
toxicity, immune responses, and inflammatory
reactions I the host.
 Disorders caused by defects in multiple genes
cannot be treated effectively using gene therapy.

ADVANTAGES

 Gene therapy has the potential to eliminate and

prevent hereditary diseases such as cystic fibrosis,
ADA- SCID etc.
 It is a possible cure for heart disease, AIDS and
cancer.
 It gives someone born with a genetic disease a
chance to life
 It can be used to eradicate disease from the future
generations

ETHICAL ISSUES

 Who will have access to therapy?

 Is it interfering with God’s plan?