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s the computer continued to leave its mark on the world,
scientists were making incredible breakthroughs in bioen
gineering. One of the most remarkable accomplishments
was the ability to create new drugs using genetic material.
The first to do it were William Rutter and Pablo
Valenzuela of the University of California, who in 1981
produced a bioengineered
vaccine
against hepatitis B.
Until then, conventional hepatitis vaccines were made
from the blood of those infected with the virus. That tech-
nique, however, presented scientists with problems. Blood
could contain an undetected virus. Moreover, there wasn’t
to meet the demand for the vaccine.
Tunnel Vision
B
y theendof thedecade,government funding forBigSciencebegan towaneasbusi-
ness took amore active role in research, engineering, and technological innovation.
Given the freedom that private enterpriseswere allowed inWestern countries, they
had advantages over the state-controlled scientists in the Soviet Bloc.When engi-
neers began tunneling under the English Channel, for instance, to connectGreat
Britainwith Francewith a high-speed rail line, private enterprise, not the govern-
ment, footed thebill.
Referred to as the “Chunnel,” a combination of “channel” and “tunnel,” the
31-mile (50-km) tunnel was a collaborative effort between French and British
companies. InGreatBritain, themoney for the project came from two banks and
five construction companies, while in France, three banks and five construction
companieshelped pay the bills.Completed in 1994, theChunnel today isused by
20millionpeople a year.
AEurostar trainas itemerges from theChunnel
on theFrench side inCoquelles,nearCalais.
MOTMW-Science-FIANL.indd 38
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CHAPTER4
39
PCsGrowUp
I
n theworld of computing, private enterprise clearly held
the reins: a number of companies in the United States—
some small and new, some large and established—began
producing personal computers.Once the domain of hob-
byists, PCs began popping up in homes, businesses, and
governmentoffices.Everyyearcompanies releasednewand
bettermodels,making the computer industry a cutthroat
business.Computers became smarter,morepowerful, and
easier to use. People, universities, businesses, and govern-
mentsbeganusing themonanunprecedented scale.
In1981, IBM introduced aPC that turned the comput-
ingworldon itshead.The computer camewith twofloppy
drives,acolormonitor
,andadotmatrixprinter.Bythe fol-
lowing year, the computerhadbecome such an important
partof life that
Time
magazinenamed it “Manof theYear,”
beating outRonaldReagan and PrimeMinisterMargaret
ThatcherofBritain.
“Computers were once regarded as distant, ominous
abstractions, like Big Brother,” themagazine wrote. “In
1982, they truly became personalized, brought down to
scale,so thatpeoplecouldhold,prodandplaywith them.”
Bioengineering
A
s the computer continued to leave itsmarkon theworld,
scientistsweremaking incrediblebreakthroughs inbioen-
gineering.One of themost remarkable accomplishments
was theability to createnewdrugsusinggeneticmaterial.
The first to do it were William Rutter and Pablo
Valenzuela of the University of California, who in 1981
produced a bioengineered
vaccine
against hepatitis B.
Until then, conventional hepatitis vaccines were made
from thebloodof those infectedwith the virus.That tech-
nique,however,presented scientistswithproblems.Blood
could contain anundetected virus.Moreover, therewasn’t
enough
plasma
tomeet thedemand for the vaccine.
By genetically engineering vaccines, scientists avoided
the use of human blood. Instead, researchers inserted a
gene from thehepatitisB virus into yeast cells.Those cells
ANEASY
INTERFACE
In theearlydaysofpersonal
computing,people typed inMS-DOS
commandsonablankscreen to
operate theircomputersandaccess
informationon them.ButBillGates
andPaulAllenhadsomething
different inmind. In 1985,Gates
andAllen’scompany,Microsoft,
cameoutwith itsfirstversionof
MicrosoftWindows,which rendered
MS-DOSnearlyobsolete.
Windows,however,wasnot the
firstoperating system to ntro-
duce thegraphicaluser interface,
orGUI.Apple introduced its
now-iconicMacintosh computer
in 1984.Andwhile thefirstMacs
didn’t takeoffasquicklyas the
early IBM–basedPCsdid, they
were thefirst togivepeople
aneasyway to interactwitha
computer.
AnearlyAppleMacintosh
computer, fromaround 1984.
MOTMW-Science-FIANL.indd 39
3/30/16 2:00PM
T H E MAK I NG O F T H E MOD E RN WOR L D :
1 9 4 5 TO T H E PR E S E N T
GLOBAL STUDIES
Since the end of World War II, the world has transformed in profound, far-reaching
ways. The dismantling of European empires after the war led to decolonization, and
the realignment of WWII allies led to conflict between superpowers. As the Cold
War heated up, two ideologies—capitalism and communism—shaped daily life and
international affairs. And as it wound down, a tidal wave of globalization wrought
new avenues for growth but new sources of conflict—between the wealthy and the
poor, between the Global South and the Global North.
THE MAKING OF THE MODERN WORLD: 1945 TO THE PRESENT OFFERS STUDENTS AN
ACCESSIBLE GUIDE TO THESE TRANSFORMATIONS. IN A COMPELLING NARRATIVE STYLE, THE
HUMAN STORY OF OUR PLANET’S MOST RECENT HISTORY COMES TO LIFE.
Set ISBN ..........978-1-4222-3634-5
Hardcover Set Price ...........$287.37
$215.55 (S&L)
Hardcover List Price ..............31.93
$23.95 (S&L)
Multi-User eBook List Price ...39.93
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Full color • Library bound
Trim Size: 7 x 9 • 64 pages
Grade Level: 7-12
9 VOLUME SET © 2017
Culture and Customs in a Connected
World .................................................-3635-2 -8279-3
Education, Poverty, and Inequality........... -3636-9 -8280-9
Food, Population, and the Environment....-3637-6 -8281-6
Governance and the Quest for Security....-3638-3 -8282-3
Health and Medicine ...............................-3639-0 -8283-0
Migration and Refugees ......................... -3640-6 -8284-7
Science and Technology .........................-3641-3 -8285-4
Trade, Economic Life and Globalization .... -3642-0 -8286-1
Women, Minorities, and Changing
Social Structures ............................... -3643-7 -8287-8
HBK ISBN E-ISBN
ED I TOR I AL KEY I CONS
In response to the principals of learning, our editorial team has
devised key icons placed within our books, providing the reader
with further reading comprehension and learning opportunities.
Series Consultant:
Ruud van Dijk
Ruud van Dijk teaches the history of international
relations at the University of Amsterdam, the
Netherlands. He studied history at Amsterdam, the
University of Kansas, and Ohio University, where he
obtained his Ph.D. in 1999. He has also taught at
Carnegie Mellon University, Dickinson College, and
the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he
also served as editor at the Center for 21st Century
Studies.