Books in How Machines Changed the World series

There are lots of interesting and fun machines in the world, but there are some machines that changed the world. This series explores how certain pieces of technology have made huge impacts upon the world. Be it life-saving technology, such as the defibrillator, or a catalyst for social change, such as the washing machine, some machines are world changers.

Before the advent of vaccines, enormous epidemics of measles, mumps, whooping cough, polio, and other crippling diseases ravaged humanity around the globe. That frightening situation began to change when Edward Jenner, Louis Pasteur, and other pioneering medical researchers developed the first vaccineswhich use a portion of a disease germ to stimulate the bodys immune reaction to that malady. Today, hundreds of millions of people gain immunity to deadly diseases through vaccination.

Robots take over jobs that are too dirty, dull, or dangerous for people. In doing so, they make human lives safer and more interesting. As robots become increasingly capable and intelligent, they are taking on new roles in medical care, education, the military, exploration, and more. Discover what it could be like to live in a world filled with robot companions and helpers.

Continual technological change since its invention has made the automobile safer, more environmentally friendly, and easier to drive. These changes are both caused by and reflected in the evolving nature of society. As cars continue to improve, electric and hydrogen power, computerized sensors, and driverless vehicles will drive the wave of the automotive future.

Around 3.9 billion people were connected to the Internet in 2018and the majority of those individuals used it every day, multiple times a day. The Internets impact has been felt in virtually every field of human endeavor. It allows people to create, distribute, and consume information; buy and sell goods and services; communicate by voice, video, and text; and collaborate in real time regardless of their location. Without a doubt, the Internet has become engrained in daily life and is among the most important inventions in the history of the world.

"Electricity is the lifeblood of contemporary society. But the bright, modern-day world lit up by coal, natural gas, nuclear power, and renewable energy sources is a relatively new phenomenon. From the time prehistoric people lived in caves until little more than a century ago, the world was dark at night. People lit wood fires and burned candles made from animal or vegetable fat. The incandescent light bulb invented by Thomas Edison did more than allow people to see better in the dark. Artificial lighting also altered the biological rhythms of life that had guided humanity for thousands of years. But further developments in renewable electricity will continue to fuel progress and change lives well into the next century"--

In recent decades, genetic research has made amazing breakthroughs and developed life-changing technologies in many fields and industries. Scientists are using genetic research to treat and understand disease, catch criminals, improve food crops, and develop high-end security. Through genetic research, scientists are unlocking the mystery of human evolution and creating powerful new ways to manipulate genes and change the world.

Antibiotics revolutionized the practice of medicine. Deadly diseases and infections became easily curable and untold millions are alive because of antibiotics. The ways industry, agriculture, and medical research function and have developed have been transformed as well. Nevertheless, the bacterial world's response to antibiotics is as dramatic as the results of the human discovery. The rise of drug resistant bacteria is challenging the medical world as never before and threatening the advent of a post-antibiotic era that scientists are determined to forestall.