History of Modern Science and Technology The Impact of the Microscope The world we live in today has many complexities that have perplexed mankind for ages. Various great men and women of science have gotten together to try and uncover the mysteries of the world. On their journey there have been instruments and tools invented that would help them further their studies beyond compare. One of the most significant inventions that have helped to further research not only in science but in other areas of work as well would be the invention of the microscope. The invention of the microscope has helped better understand the human body, bacteria, and even something as small as the atom. New discoveries have been made possible with the invention of the microscope which has helped make advances in science, industry, and medicine. The invention of the microscope has changed the course of history and affects the lives of many today which is why it is the most important invention. In the late 1500s Zacharias Jansen made the first rudimentary microscope and opened the door to the microscopic world. His invention allowed others such as Anton van Leeuwenhoek to improve on his work to build more successful microscopes. Anton van Leeuwenhoek was able to grind different types of glass together to produce a simple microscope that was capable of magnifying objects 270 times their original size (Anton van Leeuwenhoek - History of the compound microscope). With his invention he was able to make remarkable discoveries especially in human anatomy, when he identified the different types of blood cells and spermatozoa. Today he is known as the father of microbiology because of his work identifying bacteria and other microorganisms. These discov... ... middle of paper ... ...y 2013. "Anton van Leeuwenhoek - History of the compound microscope." History of the microscope.org - Its all about microscope history. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 July 2013. "Archaeologist | Define Archaeologist at Dictionary.com." Dictionary.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 July 2013. "BioTechniques - Electron Microscopy: the Future of Sequencing?" BioTechniques - The International Journal of Life Science Methods. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 July 2013. "HowStuffWorks "History of Pasteurization"." HowStuffWorks. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 July 2013. "In vitro fertilization (IVF): MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia." National Library of Medicine - National Institutes of Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 July 2013. Types of Microscopes. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 July 2013. "The World's First Test Tube Baby . Test Tube Babies . WGBH American Experience | PBS."American Experience. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 July 2013.
“IVF Patient Numbers and Success Rates Continue to Rise." Human Fertlisation & Embryology Authority. Dec. 2007. .
Apfeldorf’s article “Uncovering a Tiny World” discusses Hooke’s book which is known for its microscopic illustrations of insects and microbes that Hooke had drawn as he viewed them under the microscope. His elaborate drawings of tiny objects and insects were the scientific evidence that supported his claims of the significant value of the microscope to science and the many ways it could be used. The book also contained a description of how to make a powerful microscope with a spherical lens, much like Leeuwenhoek’s glass pearls. Leeuwenhoek traveled to England that same year and is believed to have obtained a copy of Hooke’s book and
In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is a complex series of procedures used to help those who want children but struggle with infertility. The process consists of extracting eggs from a woman and collecting a man’s sperm sample then manually combining them in a lab dish. Once the embryo(s) are created they are transferred to a woman’s uterus. IVF is commonly used in woman who cannot conceive on their own due to different reasonings. “These include but are not limited to blocked or damaged fallopian tubes, male factor infertility, woman with ovulation disorders, genetic disorders, woman who have had their fallopian tubes removed and unexplained infertility.” (American Pregnancy)
Robert Van Leeuwenhoek was a prominent scientist of his time. He could arguably be considered an absolute genius of his time period. Nobody was able to reproduce his findings for nearly a century later. That is a huge span of time, showing just how advanced his scientific methods truly were. This is an example of Thomas Kuhn’s paradigm shift. Kuhn came up with the idea of paradigm shift in a sudden moment of eureka. Kuhn readily challenged the ideas of other scientists and the way science ought to be learned and processed (Wienberger). Leeuwenhoek is a very interesting scientist to study in the fact that he had no formal institutional education. However, he did spend a majority of his childhood with his Uncle who was a lawyer. This small detail
The technique of in vitro fertilization or IVF removes several eggs from the ovaries for fertilization in the laboratory. After a few days, one or two of these fertilized eggs which are now known as embryos are returned to the uterus in the hope that they implant and become a pregnancy. Women undergoing IVF are given special reproductive hormones to encourage several eggs to develop in the ovaries. Final maturation of the egg itself is induced by the administration of a further hormone. Thirty-six hours later, the fluid containing the eggs are drawn from the ovary with a needle; this is usually performed under light sedation in a short, outpatient procedure with the doctor using ultra-sound to check proceedings. The eggs collected from the ovary are then mixed with a sample of the male partner sperm which has been already washed and concentrated. The eggs and sperm are then left in an incubator set at thirty-seven degrees at thirty-four hours so fertilization can take place. During this time, only one of many sperm cells will penetrate ...
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In my opinion, In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is one of the greatest breakthroughs in Medical Biotechnology in the last 50 years. Finding out you are infertile can be heart-breaking and distressing. After trying for long periods of time, some couples are not able to conceive. Thankfully, this problem many couples have can be fixed by In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), a process that was developed and used in Britain first more than 30 years ago by Doctors Patrick Steptoe and Robert Edwards. In 1978, the world’s first IVF baby was born into the world and since thousands and thousands of babies have been born every year using this method.
The development in the late 19th century of techniques for staining cell parts enabled scientists to detect tiny cell structures that were not actually seen in detail until the advent of the electron microscope in the 1940s. The development of various advanced optical techniques in the 20th century also increased the detection power of the light microscope for observations of living cells.
Although Pasteur is sometimes considered to be the father of microbiology and immunology, he actually launched his career as a chemist who studied the shapes of organic crystals. Crystallography was just emerging as a branch of chemistry and his project was to crystalize a number of organic compounds. While working on this project he began...
Sir Alexander Fleming changed the world of medicine not only in his days but also in the world today. We have the medicines and antibiotics that we have today because of Alexander Fleming. His discovery was much needed in the world and I hate to think where we would be in the medicine world if he hadn’t discovered penicillin.
The origin of the biological term cell came from Robert Hooke in 1662. He observed tiny compartments in the cork of a mature tree and gave them the Latin name “cellulae”, which translates into “small rooms”. In the late 1680s, Anton Van Leeuwenhoek was the first scientist to actually lay eyes on a cell. Before, there had been theories of “cells” but no one had the technology to see something so microscopic yet. Van Leeuwenhoek ran a draper 's shop and wanted to see the quality of the thread, better than the magnifying lenses available at that time. Therefore, he began to develop an interest in lens-making, with an interest already in microscopes and a familiarity with glass
Science and Technology has been around from the beginning of time. It evolved from the everyday efforts of people trying to improve their way of life. Throughout history, humankind has developed and utilized tools, machines, and techniques without understanding how or why they worked or comprehending their physical or chemical composition. Before we go any further a definition has to be given for both Science and Technology because they are both different in their own right even though the two are almost indistinguishable. According to the Oxford Dictionary Technology can be defined as the knowledge or use of the mechanical arts and applied sciences, while Science can be defined as the branch of knowledge involving systematized observation and experiment. Science can be further divided into three separate categories; Pure, Applied and Natural Sciences. In addition technology is often defined as applied science, it is simply the application of scientific knowledge to achieve a specific human purpose, however, historical evidence suggests technology is a product of science.
Technology in the last few decades has impacted our understanding of biological entities greatly, the genome project being a prime example. The progress that biology sees follows closely with the development of new technology. It is very important to understand and visualise the composition and structures of biological materials or samples in order to extend and correlate this to the principles of life. Microscopy is a by far the most used and the most relevant technique in this regard. However the short comings in the technological aspect of this greatly limit the usage of this to comprehend the specifics.
As the introduction prepared us for this, we can discern three different phases in the history of institutional development of science. If we put them in an order according to chronological interest that each phase has, we could say that the first one is the pre-science phase, the second is the science for gentlemen and the third is the phase of professional science. (Dr. Nedeva Maria, Lecture “The story of science”, 2006)