Scientific Discoveries: c. 1900 - Present
AP Concept: 6.1 Science and the Environment
Key Concepts
Medical Advances
Technological Advances
Key Concepts
- Researchers made rapid discoveries in science that spread quickly
- The discovery of vaccines, antibiotics, and new surgical techniques improved life expectancy and eradicated many previously-deadly diseases in wealthy countries
- Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in the 1920s, a naturally growing substance that could attack bacteria, and scientists replicated and improved on his results to discover that penicillin could cure serious infections
- By the late 1940s, penicillin became widely available in wealthy countries, and scientists began researching other forms of antibiotics to cure diseases
- While inoculation against diseases with vaccines had been occurring since the 18th century, it greatly increased during the 20th century
- It became standard for children to be inoculated against diphtheria, measles, mumps, and other previously dangerous diseases
- The World Health Organization (WHO) launched global programs aimed at inoculating children around the world
- Nevertheless, impoverished countries continue to suffer from diseases such as tuberculosis, cholera, and malaria, though many of these diseases no longer threaten wealthy countries
- Technological advances in cities also improved life expectancy and quality
- While Western cities had been developing sewage systems in the 19th century, they began to develop more expansive systems for treating sewage in the early 20th century
- This discovery drastically reduced the incidence of water-borne diseases in urban populations
- Advances in agriculture transformed farming throughout the world
- Between the 1940s and 1960s, the innovations of the Green Revolution were credited with saving over a billion people from starvation, especially in the developing world
- Research, development, and technology transfer initiatives led to the development of high-yielding varieties of cereal grains, expansion of irrigation infrastructure, and the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides
- These developments greatly increased agricultural output throughout the world
- New methods of communication and transportation profoundly reduced problems associated with geographic distance
- Radio, television, and the Internet allowed faster communication, while automobiles and airplanes allowed faster transportation
- Advances in energy technology revolutionized industrial productivity
- The use of oil and nuclear power allowed greater productivity, but had significant environmental costs
- New scientific theories, such as Einstein's theory of relativity, led to significant advances in human understanding
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Related Links: AP World History Quizzes AP World History AP World History Notes Migration: c. 1750 - c. 1900 |