Group 3 Members: Crystal Chew (2), Tan Ying Hui (9), Ryan Wee (25),Muhd Dhafer (19), Rohith Srinivas (22)

P6 Victorious, Rosyth School

An example of development in Science and Technology that man brings about is:

Description

Biotechnology is the use or modification of living organisms or

their processes for human purposes, such as to develop new

medicines or to enhance crops. In biotechnology, humans alter

biotic factors to achieve the desired outcomes. There are four

main ways in which biotechnology is applied – red, white,

black, green and blue.

DescriptionRed Biotechnology

Red biotechnology is the medical application of biotechnology.

In red biotechnology, man alters the genetic makeup of

organisms to produce or improve on a medical product, or to

observe the reactions of a genetically-modified organism to a

medical product.

DescriptionWhite Biotechnology

White biotechnology is industrial-centred. Man alters the

genetic makeup of organisms or uses cells or their components

to create products which are industrially useful, destroy harmful

products, or simplify industrial activities such as leaching.

DescriptionGreen Biotechnology

Green biotechnology is applied agriculturally. It is used to find

or modify the genetic characteristics of crops or livestock. Man

alters the genetic makeup of organisms to produce the desired

outcome.

DescriptionBlue Biotechnology

Blue biotechnology is applied to marine environments and

ecosystems. Man alters the genetic makeup of organisms

and introduces them to a marine environment or introduces

existing substances or organisms to ensure marine safety.

DescriptionBlack Biotechnology

Black biotechnology is applied in the energy field. It is

used to make renewable energy sources that replace

fossil fuels that are running out. Man alters the genetic

makeup of organisms to make it a clean, natural source of

energy, compared to the harmful fossil fuels.

Guiding Questions

• Human Activity - Should man bear responsibility

towards the environment from which he

draws his resources?

• Technology - Is technology good or bad in itself?

Human ActivityHumans carry out many activities to meet their needs and to build better lives. These activities have a great impact on:

• the Earth, • the human race, • the environment • the organisms that inhabit the Earth.

As we live, we:• take many resources from the environment. • release harmful substances to the environment, such as wastes and

poisonous gases.

Human Activity

Over time, this causes many environmental problems which

may be difficult to fix if left unchecked for a long time. Our

activities can completely change the ecosystem to such an

extent that nature can no longer repair the damage. Thus,

to satisfy our needs, we inadvertently sacrifice the future of

the Earth and the organisms that live on it.

Technology

Pros:

• Saves lives (medicine)

• People have more access to knowledge

• Saves time

• Brings enjoyment

• Always connected to others

Cons:

• People get lazier

• Expensive

• People lose social skills

• Cyber-bullying

• Easier for criminals to carry out crimes

Technology is good as long as it does not become out of hand, and is used responsibly and appropriately.

Benefits to Man and the Community

• Fermentation - Food Production• Medicinal Benefits - Red Biotechnology• GM Foods - Green Biotechnology• Industrial Benefits - White Biotechnology• Marine Benefits - Blue Biotechnology• Energy Benefits - Black Biotechnology

Fermentation

What is fermentation?

• Fermentation is a process of chemical change caused by organisms or their products, usually producing effervescence and heat.

• Fermentation is the oldest of all biotechnological processes, an anaerobic process where energy is produced without the participation of oxygen or other inorganic electron acceptors.

How is fermentation useful to organisms?

In the absence of oxygen, yeast and bacteria carry out fermentation to obtain energy for growth and respiration.

Fermentation

Examples of fermentation at work:

• Production of beer, wine and bread involve fermentation of sugar by yeast.

• Bread - Yeast ferments sugar in the dough. Carbon dioxide is produced and forms gas bubbles. They expand and cause the dough to rise when baked.

• Production of cheese and yoghurt involve the fermentation of milk by bacteria.

Medicinal BenefitsRed Biotechnology

• Vaccineso Safer and more effective

• New cures for genetic diseases (Gene therapy)o Genetic modification of organisms so that they produce new medicines,

such as antibiotics

• Study of how a person's genetic inheritance alters his or her response to drugs (pharmacogenomics)o Modifying organisms' genetic makeup to test their reactions to certain

medical productso Medical products that are tailored to an individual's genetic needs, more

accurate dosage of drugs.

• Better genetic testingo Scientists can design probes to examine the DNA molecule.

GM FoodsGreen Biotechnology

Farmers will harvest more crops (Better crop yield)

Explanation: GM Crops are pest-resistant, which would result in lesser crops lost to insect attacks.

GM Crops can also be modified so that they reproduce more quickly. This is a solution to the problem of a dwindling food supply due to a rapid

increase of world population.

Example: Cotton (cottonseed oil): Pest-resistant due to Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) crystal protein gene added/transferred to plant genome.

GM FoodsGreen Biotechnology

Healthier food for consumersExplanation: There will be a decrease in the usage of pesticides so the food will contain less chemicals.

Better working conditions for workers (farmers)Explanation: Less exposure to harmful chemicals found in pesticides, as there is no need to use them anymore.

Pesticides can cause:• Toxic Effects• Chemical Sensitivity Syndrome• Cancer

GM FoodsGreen Biotechnology

More environmentally-friendlyExplanation: Less harmful chemicals such as those found in pesticides will be released into the air, as less pesticides will be needed.

Harmful Effects of Pesticide on the Environment that will be avoided:• They harm other non-target species of medicinal value

o Cocoa plant - Used for anaesthetics o Cinchona Tree - Used for quinine, a cure for malariao Curare Liana - Used as tubocurarine, a muscle relaxant for surgery o Calabar Bean - Used as neostigmine, a cure for glaucomao Wild Yams - Used to make cortisone, an ingredient in birth control pills. o Rosy Periwinkle - Used to make vincristine, which treats paediatric

leukaemia and Hodgkin's disease.

• They may contribute to soil contamination• They may cause water pollution• Reduce biodiversity when species are killed.

GM FoodsGreen Biotechnology

More nutritious food

Explanation: The creation of GM foods allows the foods to contain more nutrients from the genes that are inserted into the organism.

Examples: Golden Rice - Increased iron and Vitamin A

Canola (seeds are used for producing edible oil) with oils that have lesser cholesterol

Normal RiceGolden Rice

GM FoodsGreen Biotechnology

Better storage properties and Improved tasteExample: Flavr-Savr tomato

To develop their full flavour, tomatoes need to ripen on the vine. However, as they ripen, they become soft, making it hard to harvest and to maintain in ideal conditions for sale. Hence, farmers harvest before tomatoes are ripe and make them ripe using ethylene gas which results in the loss of flavour.

Flavour-Savour tomatoes ripen on the vine longer while maintaining firmer skin.

GM FoodsGreen Biotechnology

Crops are disease-resistantExamples:

• Hawaiian Papaya: Resistant to Papaya Ringspot Virus New gene transferred into plant genome

• Squash (Zucchini): Resistant to watermelon, cucumber and zucchini yellow mosaic viruses

Contains coat protein genes of viruses

• Sweet Peppers: Resistant to virus Contains coat protein genes of the virus

GM FoodsGreen Biotechnology

Crops can have increased tolerance to unfavourable conditions

Explanation: Wheat, rice and maize crops that are drought-tolerant are currently being created. These crops can grow in water-deficient lands and prevent harvest shortfalls in the event of a drought. This enables more crops to be produced though in dry land.

Industrial BenefitsWhite Biotechnology

• New and valuable chemicals that can act as catalysts to speed up industrial processes o With the correct processes and modification, enzymes can be used

to create chemicals needed for industrial processes

• More environmentally-friendly processeso When organisms are used to speed up or complete biological

processes, less carbon emissions are produced.

• Bioleaching o Easier extraction of metals from their ores by bacteria.

• Cleanup of waste and sites contaminated by industrial activitieso Organisms can be designed to break these harmful chemicals down.

Marine BenefitsBlue Biotechnology

• Cleaning up of Marine oil spills.o Organisms are designed to break down crude oil from oil

spills. E.g.: Scientist Ananda Chakrabarty developed a bacterium that breaks down crude oil.

o The organisms introduced remove the oil.o They help to clean up the crude oil faster than a human

can, hence reducing the damage caused by oil spills.

• Increase of supply of certain seafoodo Organisms can be designed in order to do this.

• Control of spread of certain dangerous seafoodo Organisms can be designed to limit the spread of this

seafood.

Energy Consumption BenefitsBlack Biotechnology

• Cleaner Energy Sources• Microbes can take up CO2 and convert it to a more

complex molecule using energy. Burning coal on the other hand is very damaging, as coal will still hold on to gasses as well as metals like mercury and lead and releases old CO2. Most of the mercury contamination of our oceans comes from burning coal

• Renewable Energy Source• The time cycle of producing energy is short, new CO2

converts to a macro molecule and then back to CO2. Coal however takes extremely long periods of time (based on our lifespan) to form,

Future of Biotechnology• Chemical Engineering of Medicine

• New sources of medicinal benefits of plants that can slightly slow down growth Congenital Diseases like AIDs and Cancer can be genetically modified to cure and even prevent these diseases

• Industrial development• New advances suggest that cleaner and more efficient oil can be

used to power machinery in factories. These oils were obtained from plants that contain oil which were genetically modified

• Green • New research suggests that widespread cloning may be possible for the

crops in near future. Though scientists had failed in the first experiment of “Dolly the sheep”, new, safer method has been discovered to clone these crops quickly.

Future of Biotechnology

• Energy structuring• New research suggests that microbe harnessers can be

used in homes that allow energy consumption to be 2 times less and reduces consumption of earth’s natural resources. They can also can be used to speed up fossil fuel forming

• New species of Phytoplankton• Scientists have been able to engineer a species of

phytoplankton that is able to reproduce faster, increasing supply of food for the animals in the sea.

Impacts of Biotechnology on the Environment and Ecology

• Positive Effectso Cleaning up of Oil Spills more efficientlyo Less chemicals such as those found in pesticides are

released into the environment

• Negative Effectso Unintended harm to other organisms in the ecosystem when

modifying cropso Crops: Cross-pollination with other non-GM crops resulting in

potentially hazardous offspringo New weeds or pests due to the GM crops and livestock

which are hard to control

Credits

Group Member (s) Contribution (s)

Crystal Chew Human activity, Technology, Fermentation, Script

Tan Ying Hui GM Foods, Impacts of Biotechnology on the Environment and Ecology, Script

Ryan Wee Description, Benefits - Industrial, Marine, Impacts of Biotechnology on the Environment and Ecology, Script

Muhd Dhafer Description of Black Biotechnology, Benefits of Black Biotechnology, Future of Biotechnology, Images, Design of slides, Script

Rohith Srinivas Script