Technology
hideTechnology is a broad concept that deals with an animal species' usage and knowledge of tools and crafts, and how it affects an animal species' ability to control and adapt to its environment. Technology is a term with origins in the Greek "technologia", "τεχνολογία" — "techne", "τέχνη" ("craft") and "logia", "λογία" ("saying"). However, a strict definition is elusive; "technology" can refer to material objects of use to humanity, such as machines, hardware or utensils, but can also encompass broader themes, including systems, methods of organization, and techniques. The term can either be applied generally or to specific areas: examples include "construction technology", "medical technology", or "state-of-the-art technology".
The human species' use of technology began with the conversion of natural resources into simple tools. The prehistorical discovery of the ability to control fire increased the available sources of food and the invention of the wheel helped humans in travelling in and controlling their environment. Recent technological developments, including the printing press, the telephone, and the Internet, have lessened physical barriers to communication and allowed humans to interact freely on a global scale. However, not all technology has been used for peaceful purposes; the development of weapons of ever-increasing destructive power has progressed throughout history, from clubs to nuclear weapons.
Technology has affected society and its surroundings in a number of ways. In many societies, technology has helped develop more advanced economies (including today's global economy) and has allowed the rise of a leisure class. Many technological processes produce unwanted by-products, known as pollution, and deplete natural resources, to the detriment of the Earth and its environment. Various implementations of technology influence the values of a society and new technology often raises new ethical questions. Examples include the rise of the notion of efficiency in terms of human productivity, a term originally applied only to machines, and the challenge of traditional norms.
Philosophical debates have arisen over the present and future use of technology in society, with disagreements over whether technology improves the human condition or worsens it. Neo-Luddism, anarcho-primitivism, and similar movements criticise the pervasiveness of technology in the modern world, opining that it harms the environment and alienates people; proponents of ideologies such as transhumanism and techno-progressivism view continued technological progress as beneficial to society and the human condition. Indeed, until recently, it was believed that the development of technology was restricted only to human beings, but recent scientific studies indicate that other primates and certain dolphin communities have developed simple tools and learned to pass their knowledge to other generations.
For more information about Technology, read the full article at
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News tagged with technology
Electromagnetic fields as cutting tools
11 hours ago |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- The bodywork on motor vehicles must be sufficiently stable, but processing the high-strength steels involved -- for example punching holes in them -- can prove something of a challenge. A new steel-cutting ...
Researchers create first transgenic prairie voles
17 hours ago |
3 / 5 (1) |
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Researchers at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, have successfully generated the first transgenic prairie voles, an important step toward unlocking the genetic secrets of pair bonding. The future ...
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New algorithms for computerized, large-scale surveillance
1hour ago |
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A recent AFOSR-funded technology should enable the Air Force to achieve advances in object and target detection technology by using sophisticated algebraic theories called groups, rings and fields.
AT&T to release cellphone with optional projector
Electronics / Consumer & Gadgets
11 hours ago |
3.7 / 5 (3) |
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If cellphones with built-in video projectors are going to take the country by storm, then Dallas will be at the eye of the hurricane.
iPhones are musical instruments in new course and ensemble (w/ Video)
11 hours ago |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- iPhones are being used as musical instruments in a new course at the University of Michigan.
Security ID cards with built-in holograms (w/ Video)
21 hours ago |
4.8 / 5 (4) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Plastic cards with security features are ubiquitous these days, having a wide variety of uses such as credit cards, employee cards, licenses, and so on. Many have holographic images, but they ...
San Francisco vs Amsterdam in green city rivalry
1hour ago |
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San Francisco and Amsterdam set an online stage for an environmental rivalry regarding which city is more nature-friendly.
Arts and sciences join to develop greener, more efficient conferences and exhibits
16 hours ago |
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Santanu Majumdar spent his years as a graphic design graduate student developing a project that might sound counterintuitive for a student of fine arts - a software program made to simplify information gathering at conferences ...
Manufacturing, reinvented
12 hours ago |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- European researchers have created the architecture, hardware and software that will enable super-agile distributed corporations capable of reconfiguring themselves on the fly. It promises to make 'made-to-order' ...
Pork meat grown in the laboratory
23 hours ago |
4.8 / 5 (25) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists from Eindhoven University in The Netherlands have for the first time grown pork meat in the laboratory by extracting cells from a live pig and growing them in a petri dish.
Innovation puts next-generation solar cells on the horizon
18 hours ago |
4.4 / 5 (17) |
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In a world first, a Monash University-led international research team has developed an innovative way to boost the output of the next generation of solar cells.
TacSat-4 spacecraft complete and awaiting launch
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
15 hours ago |
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Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) engineers have completed all environmental and performance testing on the TacSat-4 COMMx payload. This completes the entire TacSat-4 spacecraft as the spacecraft bus was completed ...
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