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2 Biotechnology
2 Biotechnology
Introduction
At its simplest, biotechnology is technology based on biology - biotechnology harnesses cellular and
biomolecular processes to develop technologies and products that help improve our lives and the health
of our planet. We have used the biological processes of microorganisms for more than 6,000 years to
make useful food products, such as bread and cheese, and to preserve dairy products.
Learning Outcomes
Materials
Markers
Worksheet
Internet
Instructions
Answer the questions delineated in items no. 1-6 by searching the WWW or using the websites listed.
Read carefully the concepts provided and follow the protocol to answer the guide questions per
number.
Guide Questions
a. When was the first cloned organism made? What was it?
a. How many mice are involved and what is each mouse’s role?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
b. Click on “gene testing”. List 4 genetic diseases that now have diagnostic tests.
c. Return to the Human Genome Project page. Click on “Ethical Issues”. List 2 ethical
issues involving the Human Genome Project.
c. A 38-year-old woman is concerned about her risk for breast cancer, which her mother
had at age 40. No other relatives are affected.
B. Where can she read about her risk and issues to consider before testing?
6. Type in the following website: http://www.quia.com/mc/4400.html Play the genetics matching
game. How did you do?
Discussion/Summary
There are a lot of biotechnological processes being done and investigated brought about by the
advancements in science and technology. Cloning is one of it. Cloned organisms have exact genetic
copies. Every single bit of their DNA is identical. Clones can happen naturally—identical twins are just
one of many examples or they can be made in the laboratory.
Another is The Human Genome Project which was an international research effort to determine the
sequence of the human genome and identify the genes that it contains. The Project was coordinated by
the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Energy. Additional contributors included
universities across the United States and international partners in the United Kingdom, France,
Germany, Japan, and China. The Human Genome Project formally began in 1990 and was completed in
2003, 2 years ahead of its original schedule.
The work of the Human Genome Project has allowed researchers to begin to understand the blueprint
for building a person. As researchers learn more about the functions of genes and proteins, this
knowledge will have a major impact in the fields of medicine, biotechnology, and the life sciences.
References
https://www.bio.org/what-biotechnology
http://www.argosbiotech.de/info/omics/timelines/cloning01.htm
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/
https://web.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/index.shtml
http://www.clonaid.com/page.php?18
https://www.quia.com/mc/4400.html
https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-biotechnology-definition-history-examples.html
https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/primer/hgp/description