Science Fundamentals

• Biotechnology is science in action• Most all areas of science are used

Science

• Knowledge about the world we live in• Involves observations,

measurements, and experiments to set up general truths or laws

• Example – Gravity• Attraction between earth and objects

on its surface• Explains the nature and behavior of

things in our world

Four Areas or Branches

• Life science• Physical science• Mathematics • Social science

Life Science

• Study of living things• Structures and processes of

organisms that allow them to live and reproduce

• Medicine and agriculture are two areas with major interests in life sciences

Life Science

• Most commonly known as Biology• Further divided based on the kinds of

organisms being studied

Life Science

• Botony – study of plants – kingdom plantae

• Zoology – study of animals - animalia• Bacteriology – study of bacteria –

monera• Mycology – study of fungi – fungi• Virology – study of viruses

Viruses

• Tiny particle that lives in the cells of other living organisms

• Hard for scientists to classify• They do not meet the normal

conditions to be “living” organisms

Physical Science

• Study of non living things around us• Living things depend on these non

living materials for life supporting essentials such as water and minerals

• Rocks, mechanics, and climate are three examples

Physical Science

• Chemistry – study of the composition of substances. Includes how the substances relate to each other

• Physics – study of energy and matter. Physical nature of objects, heat, light, sound, minerals and electricity

Physical Science

• Earth Science – study of the environment and composition of the planet earth – Meteorology, geology, geography, and

oceanography

Mathematics

• Science of numbers• Includes both simple and advanced

operations• Statistics is often used in

biotechnology, helps summarize and interpret data

Social Science

• Study of interactions of people as individuals and groups.

• Includes sociology, ethics, anthropology and other areas

• Social science helps interpret how people will respond to new developments

• Has a large role in acceptance and benefits gained from biotech

Many Sciences together

• Biotech uses all four of the branches of science

Matter and Energy

• Chemists and physicists study matter and energy in detail

• Basic understanding of matter and energy is needed to successfully do biotech work

Matter and Molecules

• Everything is composed of matter• Matter is anything that has mass• Three common states of matter:

solid, liquid, gas• All three states are used in biotech

Matter

• All matter is made of chemical elements

• Element – any substance that cannot be broken down into simpler material by ordinary means

• Elements are fundamental units of a chemical substance

Elements

• In their pure form, elements are made up entirely of atoms with the same number of protons.

• Common elements in our world include oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, hydrogen and iron

Atom

• Smallest unit in which an element can exist

• Some atoms can exist alone, others are in pairs

• Copper can exist alone, oxygen exists as paired atoms O2

• Most elements are natural, others artificial

Elements

• 115 Elements have been identified• Not all have been named• 94 are natural• Additional artificial elements may be

added in the future• Periodic table is used to list and see

relationships of elements

Atoms

• Composed of protons, neutrons and electrons

• The number of protons in the atom is its atomic number

• Atomic numbers establish the positions of elements on the periodic table

• Each element is assigned a symbol of one to three letters

Matter

• Is made of molecules• Molecule – smallest group of atoms

that acts together to form a stable, independent substance

• Simplest molecules are composed of only two or three atoms

• Water is an example – 2 atoms of H and one atom of O = H2O

Energy and Work

• Energy is the capacity or ability to do work

• Forms of energy include chemical, heat, sound, light and electricity

• When force acts on a body, work is performed and energy is expended

Energy

• Potential energy – capacity for doing work that a body has because of its position

• Heavy object lifted high has potential energy because of its position

• Kinetic energy – energy a body has because it is in motion

Chemical Energy

• Present in chemical bonds that have formed molecules

• Produced in living organisms when molecules are broken into smaller molecules or atoms

• Chemical bonds hold energy that is released when the molecules are broken down

Scientific Classification

• Careful study and observation of organisms

• Taxonomy – classification of living things

• Seven divisions in scientific classification

• Kingdom, phylum, class, order, family genus, species

Kingdom

• Broadest classification• Five kingdoms• Plantae, Animalia, Fungi, Protista,

and Monera• Scientists are now exploring the

possibility of a sixth kingdom consisting of what is known to them as brown plants

Names of Organisms

• Common names• Scientific names• Binomial nomenclature – two names• Most in Latin• Genus is capitalized, species is not,

both are underlined• Zea maize - corn

Life Processes

• Living condition – the ability of the protoplasm in its cells to carry out complex chemical processes.

• When the processes stop the organism is no longer living

• Life Process – am essential function for an organism to be in the living condition

Life Processes

• Growth and repair• Circulation• Respiration• Secretion• Sensation• Movement• Reproduction

Reproduction

• Not essential for an organism to live• Essential for continuation of the

species of the organism

• Biotechnology uses and affects life processes such as giving a growth hormone to cows to increase milk production.

• Can be used to restore functions of organs by stimulating growth of new cells and tissues

Growth and Repair

• Occur throughout life• Require food nutrients• Occur most rapidly in young

organisms• Rate declines as age increases

Growth

• Process by which cellular components and structures increase in size

• Growth of individual cells and growth of populations of cells are two separate events

• Growth of a cell results in increased size and weight

• Results from cell division

Growth

• Cell growth and division lead to population growth, an increase in the number of cells

• Growth is within the appropriate range for the species.

Repair

• The replacement of cells• Removes and replaces damaged cells• Regeneration – re-growing of a

damaged or missing tissue• Lizzards can grow a new tail, starfish

can grow new arms• Regeneration does not happen in

humans

Obtaining food and nutrients

• Food enables organisms to grow as repair damaged cells

• Substances in foods that are used for life processes are nutrients

• Processes in involved in using food materials: ingestion, digestion, absorption and elimination

• Animals need carbohydrates, proteins, minerals, vitamins and other nutrients

• Their diets or rations must include the necessary nutrients in the proper proportions

Photosynthesis

• Process by which plants make food• Plant growth can be promoted by

assuring that adequate nutrients are available

• Soil tests can assess nutrient level and recommend needed fertilizer additions

Circulation

• Movement of substances within the organism

• Blood - animals• Water and nutrients – plants• In plants circulation takes place

through the xylem and phloem• Xylem carries food and nutrients up• Phloem carries manufactured food

down

Respiration

• Oxidation process in living cells• Releases the chemical energy in food• Makes energy available for use by

the organism• Produces wastes that must be

removed from the body• Carbon Dioxide

Respiration

• Respiratory system obtains oxygen and makes it available to the blood

• Major organs – lungs, blood vessels• Blood system collects carbon dioxide

from the organs and delivers it to the lungs for removal from the body

• Stomata – tiny pores in leaves allow exchange of Carbon dioxide and oxygen

Secretion

• Glands of organisms produce and release substances

• Promote life processes• All internal and external body fluids

except urine are secretions

Gland

• Specialized organ or tissue that produces secretions

• Pituitary gland, salivary gland, liver, kidneys

• Male and female reproductive tracts also have glands that produce hormones

Sensation

• Awareness of environment• Vision, taste, smell, hearing, touch• Plants respond to light stimuli

Movement

• Internal and external• Plants move as they respond to their

environment• Animals move to get food, escape

danger, seek a mate• Some animals move very little –

oysters tend to remain in the same place until food comes along

Elimination

• Process by which organism removes wastes and harmful substances from its body

• Wastes include solids as well as fluids and gases

• In plants most elimination is through the stomata. They release gases and water into the air

Structures of Living Organisms

• Cells – building blocks of living organisms

• Cell is a unit of life that has a definite structure

• All cells have a membrane that contains protoplasm, a nucleus, and cytoplasm

• Cells vary among organisms but tend to have the same parts

• Plant cells have walls that give a rigid protective shell and allow plants to have shape and form

• Animal cells do not have walls• Cells vary in size• Cells may be specialized and form

tissues, organs and organ systems

Cell specialization

• Cells must be different to perform different functions

• Specialized cells form tissues that are eyes, skin, muscles, glands and other body structures

Tissues

• A group of cells that are alike in structure and activity

• Perform a specific function• Specialized cells include skin, bones,

muscles, nerves• In plants specialized plant tissues

include rinds, skins, flower petals, roots, leaves

Organs

• Collection of tissues that work together to perform a function

• May contain several different tissues

Organ Systems

• Collection of organs that work together to perform a specific function for an organism

• Found in higher organisms• Major systems of animals and plants• Circulatory system, reproductive

system

DNA, Proteins, Enzymes and Lipids

• Each performs or promotes functions within organisms

• Important areas in manipulating cells and organisms

• Major focus of genetic engineering

DNA

• Two types of nucleic acid• RNA and DNA• DNA found in the chromosomes in

the cell nucleus• RNA – found throughout a cell but

mostly in the nucleus

RNA

• Long chains of nucleotide units• Role in formation of proteins in cells• Messenger RNA – leaves the cell and

carries the message about making a protein

• mRNA has genetic code info that determines the position of amino acids

• Has three nucleotides known as a codon

DNA

• Molecule in the chromosome that furnishes the genes with information for development

• Genes carry genetic info – hereditary traits

• A long polymer of repeating units• Composed of two strands

Proteins

• Consists of amino acids• Important in nutrition and growth of

an organism• Sequence of amino acids gives

proteins different properties• More that 20 proteins have been

identified• Some are essential, some are not

Essential Amino Acids (AA’s)

• Vary with the animal’s digestive system

• Ruminants require fewer essential AA’s than monogastrics

• 10 AA’s are common for most animals

Protein

• Made up of four chemical elements• H, C, N, O• Arrangement of the elements

determines type of AA• Some proteins also contain S, Fe, and

P

Protein

• Animals must have protein to grow, repair cells, and carry out life processes

• Young needed higher percentage of protein

• Proteins are important in research• Antibodies, hormones, hemoglobin,

albumin

Protein engineering

• Design of non natural proteins• Begins with a natural protein that is

modified in some way• Altering the properties of an antibody• Altering proteins to serve as drugs

Enzymes

• Kind of protein• Act as catalysts• Produced by living cells• Highly specific

Catalyst

• Substance that alters the rate of a chemical reaction without being changed or used up itself.

Enzymes

• Make enzyme more specific in terms of the reactions it catalyzes

• How effective it is• How long it lasts• Study of enzymes is enzymology• Given names and numbers provided

by the Enzyme commission (EC)

Enzymes

• Classified into 6 groups• Each has a four digit number• First number is the group into which

it fits

Lipids

• Organic compound of fatty acid• Soluble in organic solvents but not

water• Form fairly large group of oily or fatty

substances• Important in animal nutrition• Animal fats and plant oils are lipids

Lipids

• Classified into three groups• Simple, complex and derived• Simple – fats, oils and waxes• Complex – phospholipids• Derived - steroids

Lipids

• Concentrated sources of food energy• Higher calories than protein or carbs• Some help form membranes• Cholesterol is a steroid lipid• Transgenic forms of canola have

been developed with larger amounts of desired lipids

• Margarine