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
Wikipedia.
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News tagged with technology
Electromagnetic fields as cutting tools
15 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
20 hours ago |
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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
4 hours 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.
San Francisco vs Amsterdam in green city rivalry
5 hours ago |
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San Francisco and Amsterdam set an online stage for an environmental rivalry regarding which city is more nature-friendly.
3 Questions: Suzanne Corkin on the world's most famous amnesic
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
15 hours ago |
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H.M., the well-known amnesic patient whose condition helped scientists understand memory and memory impairment, died a year ago at the age of 82. H.M. (whose full name, Henry Gustav Molaison, was disclosed ...
AT&T to release cellphone with optional projector
Electronics / Consumer & Gadgets
15 hours ago |
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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.
Intelligent blood bags
15 hours ago |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Have the blood supplies got too warm? Do they match the patient?s blood group? In the future, these kinds of questions will be answered by intelligent radio nodes attached to blood bags. These ...
iPhones are musical instruments in new course and ensemble (w/ Video)
15 hours ago |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- iPhones are being used as musical instruments in a new course at the University of Michigan.
WISE Snug in Its Nose Cone; Launch Set for Dec. 9
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
15 hours ago |
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NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer has been wrapped in the outer nose cone, or "fairing," that will protect it during its scheduled Dec. 9 launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.
The real thing? People are often unsure about telling authentic luxury goods from fakes
Other Sciences / Social Sciences
15 hours ago |
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Luxury goods are supposed to be expensive because of their quality: A sip of fine wine or the comforting feel of designer clothing should justify the price.
Manufacturing, reinvented
15 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' ...
'Outbreaks Near Me' app now available for Android mobile phones
17 hours ago |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- "Outbreaks Near Me," an up-to-the-minute disease-tracking system released as an iPhone application in September, is now available for use on Android mobile phones, greatly increasing the number of people ...
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