The Trade-Offs of Technological Advancements essays

The Trade-Offs of Technological Advancements essays With continual advances in health, science, and technology, all aspects of a person's life are greatly improved. Once devastating diseases are now better understood and sometimes even treatable. With transportation advances, people easily hop on a jet and soar across the world in a matter of hours. Similarly, information is changing by the second, with the Internet providing immediate 24/7 access anywhere, anytime. Technology has even changed entertainment, as X-Box or online players vie worldwide. However, there are always trade-offs in life, and it is not any different from these medical, transportation and communication advances. During the 20th century and now into the 21st century there has been continuous progress in the health field. One of the most notable is the discovery of penicillin by bacteriologist Sir Alexander Fleming in 1928 when he observed colonies of a bacterium. This was the beginning of curing numerous illnesses with vaccines and antibiotics that greatly reduced the annual death rate. The average seniors, people over 50 years old, are living longer and healthier lives than ever before. The life expectancy is greater than ever in the U.S., just about 78 years, according to the Center for Disease Control. According to Encarta, however, medical enhancements brought an increase in other diseases. Since the arrival of "miracle drugs," cancer rates have risen despite significant improvements in treatment. Cancer and heart disease were the leading causes of death at the beginning of the 21st century, partly due to the increased aging population and ability to cure other ailments. In addition, an unhealthy lifestyle is becoming more common due to increased well being, with too many Americans eating high-fat foods and high-calorie snacks and not exercising. Automobiles, fast trains, and supersonic jets allow people to get to one place to another very quickly and easily. This transportation has greatly improved the ...