Scientific Advancements: A boon to Life The adage Nature abhors a vacuum is potent enough to explain the stupefying advancements

in science and the consuming role they play in our lives. This vacuum tends to spawn inventions, research and development in science only to make our lives easier, comfortable and worth while to say the least. Throughout history humans have shared a conflicted relationship with technology because draped in the thoughts of an easier life come the fears of paranoia, control and the misplaced moral values. Nonetheless, I stand strongly on the grounds that scientific advancements have addressed all concerns in fields such as medicine, communication, automation, and transportation to name a few. These advancements not only provide inputs to a better standard of living but have opened up new avenues for the further betterment of our society. I consider medicine, communication and transportation developments of chief importance to handle the basic necessities of life. It is very difficult to deny that life before the era of advancements was unreliable and marred by death due to over exposure of the elements of nature and the absence of treatments. Modern medicine and health care has made for a healthier and longer quality life. Modern anesthetics and procedures allow performing intricate surgeries without the slightest hint of the torturous agony with just a fraction of the invasion. Precise diagnostic processes such as X-rays, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), and Computed Tomography (CT) scans assist in detecting deathly diseases such as cancer, HIV, AIDS in the earliest of the stages. In the past destroying tumorous cells without damaging the surrounding organs was out of the question. To be precise, nano shells are microscopic silica particles coated with gold that stick to the cancerous cells. Passing the nano shells under infra-red rays increases the temperature of the cell and destroys the cells. It is argued that scientific progress has lead to fatal diseases and complications which were extinct in the previous era. To counteract however, advancements have definitely kept pace if not always a step forward. Statistics also prove that forward strides in medicine have done more good than harm. The death rate per 1000 people was an astounding 37.5 in the year 1900. A hundred years later, that figure stands at a paltry 7.5 people indicating man has experienced a growing level of comfort and has arrested death and decay. The last few decades have experienced a proliferation of communication technology for it is the strong link to make life a desirable experience. I believe communication is of paramount importance and it influences other fields to a large extent. Long distance communication meant runners or pigeons passing the message. However with substantial advancements in communication, it is seemingly effortless. Furthermore socializing is possible at the click of a button and finding a date online is far more accessible. One of the greatest minds of our time would have remained speechless and kept his intellect obscured had it not been for a speech generating device. I am referring to the great Stephen Hawking who endures a life-threatening condition disabling his speech capabilities. An extraordinary device which can generate speech enables him to share his intellect and guide us through his deep cognition of space and time. Only the Flintstones (cartoon) can deny the power of the internet. With the rising number of e-

commerce websites and online utilities such as online banking, the degree of security and privacy at the comfort of your home is through the roof. In essence, in mans quest to unfold nature and share knowledge, rapid developments in communication are invaluable. Nowadays it is very rare for a person to walk to their destination for that calls for wasting invaluable time. Thanks to the rapidity in developments in transportation, arriving at the destination with exceptional comfort, luxury and safety is taken for granted. Recent advancements clearly indicate the redundant and much needed emphasis on safety and luxury. Enormous travel time, absence of safety made travelling the arduous activity it was. The fastest travelling speed achievable was as fast as people could walk, hampered by natural calamities making it treacherous. The worlds first Magnetic Levitation (MagLev) trains operating between the famous Shanghai Pudong Airport and financial center Lujiazui is an indicator of progress. Requiring only 7 minutes to cover a distance of 30 km at a cruising speed of 400km per hour makes it the pinnacle of land based transport. Air travel allows travelling geographies zipping at more than 500 km to the hour drastically reducing the time of journey. Henry Ford never would have dreamt of the latest vehicular technology, not to forget the massaging recliner seats on the new Rolls Royce. Devices like Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS), air bags have drastically reduced fatalities. Many argue revolutionary transportation modes put an exhaustive burden on the fossil fuels. We are at the threshold of globalization where commodities from diverse regions of the world are a necessity. Transportation has evolved in the right direction with the sole purpose of improving the transfer of goods and people secure, safe and comfortable. The subject of scientific advancement is very subjective. Concerns over the destructive nature of technology have gone on the power movies like I-Robot and literary works like Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. The convincing and alluding results that scientific advancements have fetched are never under the spot light in these interpretations. I believe it is not the gun that kills people, its people who kill people. Every situation is two pronged but I firmly believe scientific advancements and their application in our daily lives weakens the argument of the destructive consequences. With medicine granting longer and reliable lives, communication enabling conveying of information at the click of a button, and transportation permitting immediate travel across the world, life has substantially changed for the better.