Abstract

Humans from different time periods appear to prefer facing the unknown with the aid of the best technology available; this preference can be recognized in humans from the beginning of civilization to the present. A review of the scientific investigation of Ötzi the Iceman, reveals physical evidence of the actual technological equipment that Copper Age travelers carried. The explorations of the bathyscaph Trieste give a clear and interesting portrait of the technology that mid-20th century explorers would bring with them on dangerous expeditions into the unknown and the effect of that technology on their emotional state of mind. These two cases illustrate that our species seems compelled to know what lies beyond our reach, and when we undertake the journey toward the unknown, it seems we are most comfortable with the latest technology close at hand.