Quiz: Science That Shapes Society
Antibiotics, chips, and climate — test your grasp of the discoveries and dilemmas that define modern life.
From Petri Dish to Pandemic: The Antibiotic Era
When Alexander Fleming returned from holiday in 1928 and noticed that a mold had killed the bacteria in a forgotten Petri dish, he could not have predicted the transformative effect his discovery would have. Penicillin, and the wave of antibiotics that followed, turned once-fatal infections into routine cures and added decades to average life expectancy. Today, however, the unprecedented rise of antimicrobial resistance threatens to undo that legacy, as microbes evolve faster than our drug pipelines can keep up. Public-health bodies now warn of a "post-antibiotic era" in which simple surgeries could once again become deadly.
Silicon and the Climate Crossroads
Few inventions have reshaped daily life as quietly as the semiconductor chip. Housed in everything from phones to pacemakers, these slivers of silicon run the algorithms, sensors, and networks that underpin the modern economy. Yet the fabrication of each advanced chip demands vast amounts of water, energy, and rare earths, leaving the industry with a sizable carbon footprint. At the same time, chips are themselves crucial tools for climate mitigation, powering smarter grids, electric vehicles, and the satellite systems that monitor a warming planet — a paradox that defines much of twenty-first-century innovation.
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1According to the article, why did Fleming's 1928 discovery of penicillin mark such a turning point in medicine?
The article states that antibiotics transformed fatal infections into routine cures and added decades to life expectancy.
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2What paradox does the article highlight about the semiconductor industry?
The article explicitly notes that chip manufacturing leaves a large carbon footprint while simultaneously powering climate-monitoring technology.
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3Why does the author describe antimicrobial resistance as "unprecedented"?
The article links the word to microbes evolving faster than drug pipelines can keep up, which puts past medical gains at risk.
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4Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the article as something that depends on semiconductor chips?
Phones, pacemakers, grids, and electric vehicles are all cited, but pottery is a craft unrelated to silicon chips.
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5What broader message does the article convey about science's relationship with society?
The piece repeatedly links discovery with consequence — antibiotic resistance and chip-driven climate impacts — implying that informed public engagement is essential.