Society supports STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) because of the benefits they provide. The output from STEM serves as a foundation for further advances. To paraphrase Sir Isaac Newton, STEM practitioners stand on the giants of past STEMers. Advances in STEM are based on the recorded information as humankind has evolved.
In times of old, information was chronicled on tablets of wax, stone, or clay. But skins and papyrus were lighter and more flexible. The printing press allowed mass distribution of knowledge. Only recently has computer-based technology enabled rapid, global distribution of STEM products. I call these times “The Pixel Era,” since the human interface uses electronic pixels instead of ink or toner.
In April 2017, reports appeared that a critical website(s) containing data from the U.S. EPA on global warming was going to be taken offline due to differences in the global warming policies of the preceding and new administrations. While this has not yet come to pass,1 there is plenty of reason for concern.2 Just look at the book-burning in the 1930’s in Germany, or the closing of EPA libraries in George W. Bush’s administration.
Natural calamities are another peril to electronic displays and records. Large data farms require a great deal of electrical power to run and cool the processors. The electrical supply is generally quite reliable, but there are threats. Sunspots and extreme terrestrial weather can cause outages, which could shut down a server farm, causing a ripple effect throughout the systems that are dependent on information provided by the servers. This could impact airline reservations, communications, operation of the electrical grid, hospitals, traffic signals, and much, much more.
More sinister is cyber warfare, designed to encrypt files and throw away the key. This could be applied to information and programs already encrypted for security reasons. Data could be permanently lost. America’s electrical grid and the nonfiber-optic data network could be attacked by a detonation of a nuclear weapon in space.3
Finally, there is software obsolescence. It seems that the useful life of computer operating systems is about 20 years. Data displays change even more quickly. I have floppy files from my “Fat Mac” days (~1985) that are no longer accessible.
Obsolescence of data storage, display, and operating systems is a serious concern for long-term data utility. What would happen if a drug application and approval could not be accessed after 20 or 30 years? What about 100 years?
While pixel technology is very convenient, the STEM community should not place all of our eggs in one basket. Electronic files and reference to the host programs should be included as supplemental data to print publications. Hopefully publishers will archive this information in distributed data centers outside the reach of book burners and censors. Important files should be archived in places like libraries and museums. So clean out your file cabinet to make room for important paper backups.
STEM information is too valuable to treat casually: We owe it to ourselves and our progeny to be vigilant about perils to our work product. Nothing lasts forever, but we must try to extend its survivability.
References
- http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-hiltzik-epa-climate-20170501-story.html
- https://www.americanlaboratory.com/Blog/171278-Book-Review- Poison-Spring-The-Secret-History-of-Pollution-and-the-EPA/
- http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/north-korean-nuclear- emp-attack-the-threat-america-downplays-21010
Robert L. Stevenson, Ph.D., is Editor Emeritus, American Laboratory/Labcompare; e-mail: [email protected].