Life-Changing Discoveries by Mankind
Most important scientific discovery by mankind ever
Geoffrey Macharia
Maseno University
Most important scientific discovery by mankind It is a fact that science continues to play a significant role in the existence of mankind and the extent to which he relates to the universe. Man has continued to make great scientific discoveries that have made it possible for him to exploit most of the natural resources to his advantage. Increase in world population has led to a major increase in demand for goods and services, for example, clothing, automobiles, medicine and many more others. This demand has led to a steady rise and emergence of existing and new industries respectively. This development has of course presented its own share of challenges; that of pollution and environmental degradation. There has been a need therefore for alternative sources of energy and since the understanding of geology is far different today than it was in the 1970s (Long and Shevenell, 2001), scientists have exploited this advancement in knowledge and made one of the greatest scientific discoveries by mankind; the discovery of geothermal energy. In discovering geothermal energy, for example, man has been able to generate electricity both for domestic and industrial consumption. The use of geothermal energy to generate electricity began in the 20th Century (Kutscher, 2000). Today, nearly 8000 MWe of geothermal electricity are produced worldwide (Long and Shevenell, 2001). This discovery has not only provided electricity to power industries and machines, it has also greatly reduced the degradation of the environment as dependence on water for hydro power has significantly reduced. Clean energy production has been a subject in many science conferences and it is therefore not surprising to learn of the discovery of geothermal energy. Mankind in his pursuit for survival has undertaken many activities most of which have led
Geoffrey Macharia
Maseno University
Most important scientific discovery by mankind It is a fact that science continues to play a significant role in the existence of mankind and the extent to which he relates to the universe. Man has continued to make great scientific discoveries that have made it possible for him to exploit most of the natural resources to his advantage. Increase in world population has led to a major increase in demand for goods and services, for example, clothing, automobiles, medicine and many more others. This demand has led to a steady rise and emergence of existing and new industries respectively. This development has of course presented its own share of challenges; that of pollution and environmental degradation. There has been a need therefore for alternative sources of energy and since the understanding of geology is far different today than it was in the 1970s (Long and Shevenell, 2001), scientists have exploited this advancement in knowledge and made one of the greatest scientific discoveries by mankind; the discovery of geothermal energy. In discovering geothermal energy, for example, man has been able to generate electricity both for domestic and industrial consumption. The use of geothermal energy to generate electricity began in the 20th Century (Kutscher, 2000). Today, nearly 8000 MWe of geothermal electricity are produced worldwide (Long and Shevenell, 2001). This discovery has not only provided electricity to power industries and machines, it has also greatly reduced the degradation of the environment as dependence on water for hydro power has significantly reduced. Clean energy production has been a subject in many science conferences and it is therefore not surprising to learn of the discovery of geothermal energy. Mankind in his pursuit for survival has undertaken many activities most of which have led
References: Blair, P. D. (2006). Geothermal Resources and Technology: An Introduction. Environmentally Conscious Alternative Energy Production, 101-118 10, 2014, from http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy00osti/28204.pdf Long, J DC (pp. 1-9). Retrieved October 10, 2014, from http://www.atlasgeoinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/PublicInformation/Testimony/Geothermal-testimony7b.pdf