[] Back in 1900, who could have predicted the amazing technological achievements that would be made during the next hundred years? By the year 2000, advances in communications, nuclear energy, and medicine transformed people’s lives in many unexpected ways.
One of the most important developments was the invention of communication satellites that allow images and messages to be sent wirelessly around the world. [] One advantage of this technology is that current events can be sent worldwide instantly. [] News used to travel overseas by boat and would take weeks or months to spread. [] When disaster struck the World Trade Center on 9/11, most of the world saw it immediately. [] To achieve this technological marvel, many satellites have been very costly, however. [] As a result, many poor countries have been left behind and can barely participate in so-called “globalization.”
[] The invention and use of nuclear energy is another important technological development. [] One positive feature of nuclear energy is that energy is cheaper and can be made easy. [] France, for one, depends almost entirely on electricity generated by nuclear power. [] But the dangers of nuclear energy dampen the world’s enthusiasm. [] Watch out for human error and careless workmanship. [] They can cause huge disasters such as the one in Chernobyl in 1986, which killed countless people and radiated half the Earth.
[] There have also been many significant technological advances in medicine. [] One such development was the CAT scan. [] The CAT scan permits doctors to take pictures of your brain to see ifthere is a growth on it. [] One positive effect of the CAT scan is that doctors can diagnose brain tumors and brain cancer at an early stage. [] Many lives have been saved. [] But CAT scans are expensive, so uninsured Americans and the poor of all countries have been deprived of this modern medical marvel.