MessanaScience 8

Technology based on a biological system or living organism

Uses organisms to solve real world human problems

Medicine Agriculture Food processing

Create products that meet some human need

Research & development Quality control Manufacturing & production Agriculture

• Genetic testing = “picture” of the DNA– Catch criminals– Determine parents of a baby– Screen for diseases/genetic abnormalities

• Gene therapy = utilizes viruses or bacteria to enter cell and replace defective genes

• Cloning = creation of genetically identical organisms– Dolly the Sheep, Scotland, 1997– Cloning human would be very difficult, is it ethical??– Human Cloning – Outlawed in US late 1990s- early

2000s• Tissue culturing = grow human tissues and

organs in lab• Development of better/cheaper

drugs

• Making bacteria that will eat harmful pollutants

• Help bacteria reproduce faster• Bacteria will clean up after an industrial

accident• Bacteria will increase rate of nutrient

cycling through ecosystem• Microbes used to produce food products• Control production of harmful bacteria in

foods• Control microbes in water

• Increase crop yields– Transgenic crops = DNA altered by humans– Insecticide use, plants that are insect resistant– Transgenic animals = produce more, faster;

products contain fewer hormones, antibiotics, cholesterol

• Reducing environmental stressors–Make transgenic crops that can survive in

harsh conditions• Improving food quality– Alter size, taste, amount of nutrients, when it

ripens, how long it stays fresh

• Will cross-pollination between transgenic crops & wild plants have unforeseen consequences?

• How will transgenic crops affect humans long term?

• Will transgenic crops affect food allergies or cause new unknown diseases?

• Who gets to make decisions on Human Genome Project info?

• Is it OK to pick desired genetic characteristics for a baby?

• What are the effects of genetic manipulation on complex human traits?