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YALI’S QUESTION: WHY DID SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY DEVELOP IN EUROPE?

Explore why science and technology thrived in Europe while other regions didn't produce remarkable scientists like Aristotle and Marie Curie. |

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YALI’S QUESTION: WHY DID SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY DEVELOP IN EUROPE?

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  1. YALI’S QUESTION: WHY DID SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY DEVELOP IN EUROPE? (from Jared Diamond’s book Guns, Germs, and Steel)

  2. Why didn’t an Aristotle develop among the Australian Aboriginal people??

  3. Why didn’t the tribes of New Guinea produce a Marie Curie??

  4. Did Native Americans ever produce an Einstein? If not ….. why not??

  5. Is there any evidence that Caucasians are more intelligent, more creative, or more industrious than other races of humanity? No!

  6. So … Why didn’t native Americans develop carts and wagons? Why didn’t Polynesians develop a model of the solar system? China amassed an armada of 300 ships to invade Africa 300 years before Columbus, but they had no good navigators!

  7. Science developed in Europe because of its ecosystems not because of its people.

  8. Spread of Humans Across the World

  9. Europeans benefited from chance: • few geographic barriers  • flow of ideas & inventions • favorable climate for agriculture • favorable native plants & animals

  10. The Extreme Benefits of Good Geography

  11. Geography Lesson #1: Latitude affects agriculture more than longitude. Agricultural practices can be transferred along an east-west axis better than along a north-south axis.

  12. The Americas are separated from each other by barriers Barriers and east-west movement is blocked by mountains.

  13. Africa, India, SE Asia & Australia are isolated, mountains desert ocean desert desert as are all oceanic islands.

  14. In contrast, Eurasia provides no barriers to E-W movement Resources & ideas flowed easily.

  15. Geography Lesson #2: Modern agriculture developed in the “Fertile Crescent”.

  16. The Fertile Crescent

  17. Agricultural crops & practices spread easily from the Fertile Crescent thru Eurasia.

  18. The spread of agricultural crops thru Eurasia Insert fig 10.2 page 181

  19. But, why did agriculture start in the Fertile Crescent and not elsewhere in the world?

  20. Geography Lesson #3: Food Crops Grow Best in Mediterranean Climates

  21. Mediterranean Climates of the World Except Fertile Crescent, all others are blocked by barriers.

  22. Centers of origin of food production.

  23. Native Crops Around the Ancient World Fertile Crescent - wheat, oats, barley, peas, lentils China - rice, foxtails, soybeans North America - maygrass, smartweed, squash Central America - corn, beans India - hyacinth beans, cucumbers Ethiopia - finger millet New Guinea - sugar cane, yams

  24. Rice Wheat Barley Important Grass Crops of the World Oats Corn

  25. World Distribution of Large-seeded Grasses AREANUMBER OF SPECIES Fertile Cresent/Europe 32 China/East Asia 6 Africa 4 Americas North 4 Central 5 South 2 Australia 2

  26. Geography Lesson #4: Large scale agriculture requires the domestication of large animals. (beasts of burden, food, and transportation.)

  27. Horses, Zebras, and the Anna Karenina Principle “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” Success involves avoiding many possible sources of failure.

  28. Anna Karenina re-visited: “Domesticated animals are all alike; every undomesticated animal is undomesticated in its own way.”

  29. The 14 Species of Large Domesticated Animals The Major FiveThe Minor Nine Sheep Arabian camel Goat Bactrian camel Cow Llama Pig Donkey Horse Reindeer Water buffalo Yak Banteng Mithan

  30. Western Asia Western Asia The Major 5 Europe & N. Africa Southern Russia Europe & N. Africa

  31. Large Animal Candidates for Domestication Eurasia AfricaAmericasAustralia Candidates 72 51 24 1 # Domesticated 13 0 1 0 % Domesticated 18% 0% 4% 0% Eurasia had more potential candidates initially; others had fewer and domesticated fewer.

  32. Of 148 Large Mammals Worldwide Only 14 Were Domesticated Why Weren’t the Others?

  33. Characteristics of Domesticable Species: • Diet – must be herbivore • Growth rate – must grow quickly • Breeding – must breed in captivity • Disposition – must be relatively gentle. • Reaction to danger – can’t panic • Social structure – 3 factors: • - live in herds • - well-developed dominance hierarchy • - herds occupy overlapping home ranges

  34. Disposition Social structure Panic Territorial Breeding

  35. Deadly Gifts from Our Animal Friends Animal w/ Most Closely Human diseaseRelated Pathogen Measles cattle (rinderpest) Tuberculosis cattle Smallpox cattle (cowpox) or others with poxes Flu pigs Pertusis pigs Malaria chickens & ducks

  36. Domesticated plants & animals made food surpluses & food storage possible. Triggering larger & more stratified populations with disease resistance.

  37. Large populations in Eurasia (with freedom & technology to move) then decimated native populations by accident (or on-purpose)

  38. East-west axis Mediterranean climate Ultimate factors Many suitable native species Ease of spreading Many domesticated plants & animals Food surpluses/ Food storage Large, dense, sedentary stratified societies Science & Technology Proximate factors Guns, steel, swords, ships Politics, writing Disease

  39. Aristotle, Curie, Bohr, Einstein, and many other western scientists are the product of Europe’s fortuitous location.

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