Scientific American Frontiers

Science and medicine have always provided means of creating new goals and achievements to succeed in across the globe. America being the richest western world country will obviously have the ‘upper hand’ when it comes to investing in medical and scientific experiments.

I was researching American medical achievements online when I found this website.

http://www.pbs.org/saf/index.html

Unfortunately I was unable to watch any episodes online, however I’m sure the determined amongst us will eventually find something on the net!

Some episodes discuss nerve surgery, stem cell research, the use of bionic limbs and prosthetics and studying animal behaviour. Christopher Reeve also features in one episode discussing his desire to walk again. He used his stardom to promote the technology and research into spinal cord injuries and also promoted embryonic stem cell research. The fast moving medical industry, ensures that new goals are always being made, the cure for cancer and for HIV and AIDS.

According to America Against The World by Andrew Kohut, 19% of Americans believe that science and technology have been the greatest achievement in the twentieth century.

Goals and progress in medicine and science is being tracked constantly, it provides many with a goal which hopefully can be achievable, and a goal which actually benefits society, the cure for cancer cannot be argued to be a bad thing. From the frontiers of the last 1800’s, it can be said that they set up the future, created modern frontiers. It also provided American society with the determination to overcome problems and complications to achieve success.

I think the idea of frontiers can be defined quite nicely in a quote from Christopher Reeve, used on this course before, but I think it encapsulates the view of someone who himself was involved in a critical frontier in medicine and technology.

I urge you to read the whole speech! :)

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/christopherreeve1996dnc.htm

“Now, America has a tradition that many nations probably envy. We frequently achieve the impossible. That's part of our national character. That's what got us from one coast to another. That's what got us -- that's what got us the largest economy in the world. That's what got us to the moon.
Now, on the wall of my room when I was at rehab, there was a picture of the Space Shuttle blasting off, and it was autographed by every astronaut now at NASA, and on the top of that picture, it says, "We found nothing is impossible."