u PART 2-Historical Event

A specific historical event which has added to our understanding of certain aspects of the natural world is represented by the Chernobyl disaster. Which occurred in 1986. "The accident caused the largest uncontrolled radioactive release into the environment ever recorded for any civilian operation, and large quantities of radioactive substances were released into the air for about 10 days." (www.world-nuclear.org) in the period in which the accident took place, many countries were undergoing development processes. The international trend included an increased trust in the use of science and technology. Locally, while the importance of the central was understood, the same thing could not be stated about the risks it involved. It is believed that the accident was caused due to the lack of proper preparation of the workers.

The consequences of the explosion included the death of thirty workers and the contamination with thyroid cancer of many other people, especially children. The people who lived in the plant area were evacuated, although some of them returned to live there. People learned that in the absence of proper management of technology and substances, they can turn against us. The most important aspects which humanity has learned from the Chernobyl disaster were the environmental effects and the occurrence of cancer.

The first example refers to the contamination of the environment. It is safe to assert that people did not have a complete comprehension of the extent to which the accident had negatively impacted the surrounding environment. They knew however that the soil was contaminated and they consequently...

Humanity learned that energies which can be used for positive purposes may result disastrous if not handled well.
The second example refers to the impact that the explosion had on people's health. While the impact on the environment was something that could have been easily suspected in the case of the explosion, people did not suspect that such a serious consequence such as the occurrence of cancer could have been possible. The numerous deaths which followed the accident demonstrated that exposure to radiation, depending on its intensity, has terrible, if not fatal effects.

Bibliography:

About the Human Genome Project in genomics.energy.ov, Retrieved March24, 201 from http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/project/about.shtml

Chernobyl Accident in World Nuclear Association, Retrieved March 24, 2011 from http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/chernobyl/inf07.html

Gregor Mendel (1822-1884) in Access Excellence, the National Health Museum Resource center, Retrieved March 24, 2011 from http://www.accessexcellence.org/RC/AB/BC/Gregor_Mendel.php

James Watson, Francis Crick, Maurtice Wilkins and Rosalind Franklin in Chemical Heritage Foundation Library Museum for Scholars, Retrieved March 23, 2011 from http://www.chemheritage.org/discover/chemistry-in-history/themes/biomolecules/dna/watson-crick-wilkins-franklin.aspx

The importance of DNA, the historical significance: Impact in modern medicine in Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, Retrieved march 24, 2011 from http://www.rosalindfranklin.edu/dnn/portals/lifeindiscovery/dna/impact.html