Scientists and other brilliant minds spent decades of their lives to further understand the world around us. Through their hard work, humankind has been able to achieve major scientific breakthroughs. We understand diseases and illnesses better than we ever have. Humans can also better understand ourselves and the world around us. Humankind has achieved many scientific victories.

If you're sick, your doctor might give you antibiotics. This medicine can kill or slow down bacteria growth. While it can be helpful, it is important not to overuse or misuse it. The bacteria can evolve and not be affected by the medicine anymore. As a precaution, you should always finish the dose given by the doctor. Ending the medication too soon could lead to sickness again.

Louis Pasteur was a French scientist. He first began to experiment with bacteria in the 1860s. Back then, people didn't know that bacteria caused diseases. Louis Pasteur was the one that made the discovery. He also learned that bacteria could be killed by heat and disinfectant. This discovery led doctors to begin washing their hands and their tools, which has saved many lives.

There were once diseases and outbreaks that the entire world feared. But thanks to new scientific discoveries, they have been eradicated in most parts of the world. Polio is a disease that mainly affects children under 5 years old. It can cause paralysis and in some cases, even death. There is no cure for polio. It can only be prevented by the use of vaccines. We need to remember that as long as a single person is infected, others are at risk of infection as well.

The Human Genome Project was a project that began in 1990 and ended in 2003. Many geneticists and scientists from all around the world took part in this project. Their goal was to map and understand human genetics. The scientists also wanted to learn more about how DNA is sequenced and ordered. Even though the project ended already, scientists are always making new discoveries. Maybe one day they will be able to find cures for degenerative diseases too.

Our world keeps track of dates in the same way. We follow the calendar that tells us the year starts with January and ends with December. This is a solar calendar and it usually has 365 days in a year. It is called the Gregorian calendar or Western calendar. It replaced an older, inaccurate calendar back in 1582. This calendar is important, because it's a highly accurate calendar and it is used internationally. It allows dates to be synchronized across the globe.

Humans have always wondered about the vast sky above us. Many also dreamed of exploring the cosmos. Space travel is still dangerous and expensive today. Space shuttles need a lot of fuel and gain tremendous speeds in order to break free from Earth's gravity. When they re-enter Earth’s atmosphere, the process is also dangerous. The space shuttle could heat up or even be destroyed.

Luckily, we do not always have to send people to space to learn about it. Space probes have been sent to space to explore and get more information. Some of these trips are one way, and some space probes may come back to Earth with samples. Humans have sent space probes to the moon, different asteroids, and even other planets in our solar system!

Humans have achieved a considerable amount in just the past several decades. There are sure to be many breakthroughs underway. What are your predictions for the future?

Exercises

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