Progress in Science and Technology :

    Science is the systematic study of anything that can be examined, tested, and verified. The word science is derived from the Latin word scire, meaning "to know." From its early beginnings, science has developed into one of the greatest and most influential fields of human endeavor. Today different branches of science investigate almost everything that can be observed or detected, and science as a whole shapes the way we understand the universe, our planet, ourselves, and other living things.
   Science develops through objective analysis,instead of through personal belief. Knowledge gained in science accumulates as time goes by, building on work performed earlier. Some of this knowledge- such as our understanding of number- stretches back to the time of ancient civilizations, when scientific thought first began. Other quarks(the smallest known building block of matter) - dates back less than 50 years. However,in all fields of science, old or new, researchers use the same systematic approach, known as the scientific method, to add to what is known. 
   Scientists utilize existing knowledge in new scientific investigations to predict how things will behave. For example, a scientist who knows the exact dimensions of lens can predict how the lens will focus a beam of light. In the same way, by knowing the exact makeup and properties of two chemicals, a researcher can predict what will happen when they combine. Sometimes scientific predictions go much further by describing objects or events that are not yet known. An outstanding instance occurred in 1869, when Russian chemist Dmitry Medeleyev drew up a periodic table of the elements arranged to illustrate patterns of recurring chemical and physical properties. Mendeleyev used this table to predict the existence and describe the properties of several elements unknown in his day, and when the elements were discovered several years later, his predictions proved to be correct.
    Alongside these achievements, science has also brought about technology that helps save human life. The kidney dialysis machine enables many people to survive kidney disease that would once have proved fatal, and artificial valves allow sufferers of coronary heart disease to return to active living. Biochemical research is responsible for the antibiotics and vaccinations that protects us from infectious diseases, and for a wide range of other drugs used to combat specific health problems. As a result, the majority of people on the planet now live longer and healthier lives than ever before.