Rica Mae Pilar

BSCE-1C

The Relationship of Biodiversity and Genetically Modified Organism

to Information Age: An Integration Paper

This paper mainly focuses on how the three particular lessons I have on subject Science,
Technology and Society on the second grading are related to each other. These topics are the
Information Age which is a historical period that began in the mid-20 th century, this is the idea
that access to and the control of information in this current era in human civilization. The second
one is the Biodiversity and Healthy Society which is all about the diversity of all life forms on
Earth, on this topic I also addressed the importance of biodiversity in a society and its major
threats. The last topic is the Genetically Modified Organisms which is all about organisms
including bacteria and microbe where DNA has been altered using genetic engineering
techniques. Also I included the concepts of GMO and its importance and implications to our
society and fellow farmers. This can help broaden the knowledge and performance and serves an
overview for the particular lesson. By assessing the topics, this will contribute to the reader’s
views and interests that they can apply to their everyday lives.
 INTRODUCTION

Access to information is easier than ever, and is completely centralized. Technologies

promised to usher in the ‘information age’ in which people would be better informed about the
world around them, and better connected to each other by being able to communicate globally
using a pocket computer. The social media sites provide a means of staying updated with our
social circle, keeping in touch with what was happening in the lives of people around us without
even needing to call or message them. The stage was set for a dramatic improvement in the day-
to-day life of the average person: everyone could know what happening with anything or anyone
at any moment. However, technology is generally an important contributor to a biodiversity. Bio
diversity is the hallmark of nature. Things exist in different forms which creates diversity.
Biodiversity is a significant and desirable variation in plant and animal existence on the surface
of the earth. The variation exists due to genetics, species and the ecosystem or the habitat.
Biodiversity is an important aspect in the world because it enables the survival and sustainability
of living things on earth. Under the range of biodiversity, there is the so called Genetically
modified organisms (GMO), it offer benefits to human life as well. Many people today are often
amazed by the amount of nutrition and health information required for humans. The constant
stream of genetic modification of food can be confusing. GMO is very important to many
individuals and organizations as it involves questions related to food safety, human health,
ecosystem health and the ability to continue to make genetic improvements of organisms. And
the existence of GMO is just because of the biotechnology and the genetic engineering.
 To basically define Information Age, this is what many pundits, writers, and analysts
have already labeled these concluding years of the twentieth century and the beginning of the
twenty-first century. This age began around 1970s and is still going on today, this an era brought
about time period in which people could access information and knowledge. This
characterization of our time is based on the widespread proliferation of emerging information
and communication technologies and the capabilities that those technologies provide and will
provide humankind to overcome the barriers imposed on communications by time, distance, and
the location and the limits and constraints inherent in human capacities to process information
and make decisions. Advocates of the concept of the Information Age maintain that we have
embarked on a journey in which information and communications will become the dominant
forces in defining and shaping human actions, interactions, activities, and institutions.

Claude E. Shannon, an American mathematician is the ‘’Father of Information Theory.’’

At age 32 and as researcher at Bell Laboratories, he published landmark paper proposing that
information can be quantitatively encoded as series of ones and zeros. Shannon showed how all
information media, from telephone signals to radio waves to television, could be transmitted
without error using this single framework. There were many different inventions that came about
because of the Information Age, one of which was the computer. The Internet allowed people to
access information with the touch of a button. Personal computers had become widespread by
the end of the 1980s. Also available was the ability to connect these computers over local or even
national networks. Through a device called a modem, individual users could link their computer
to a wealth of information using conventional phone lines. What lay beyond the individual
computer was a vast domain of information known as cyberspace. The internet was developed
during the 1970s by the Department of Defense. In the case of an attack, military advisers
suggested the advantage of being able to operate one computer from another terminal. In the
early days, the Internet was used mainly by scientists to communicate with other scientists. The
development of fiber-optic cables allowed for billions of bits of information to be received every
minute. Companies like Intel developed faster microprocessors so personal computers could
process the incoming signal at a more rapid rate. The Internet has turned society into
homebodies, individuals who do everything from the comfort of their homes instead of venturing
outdoors to complete tasks. People can do everything online; shopping, communicating, bill
paying, working, education, entertainment, even ordering food. This may be good, but it has also
made us a very lazy and uneducated society. The Internet not only provides information but also
may new forms of communication. We can correspond with people across the globe through
web-cams, instant messaging and e-mail. This is the reason why globalization is becoming a
reality. As a result of globalization, people can communicate with relatives over the Internet and
businesses can connect with unlikely partners.

The Information Age has made industrial countries stronger. With online companies
being some of the most successful and economically stimulating businesses out there, economies
receive more from them and keep our world turning. People are becoming more mature and more
educated due to things like the computer and the Internet. This time period has reshaped
governments, with new technology being created every day. Governments can now have more
advanced and effective militaries. Because of things like the Internet, new laws had to be put in
place to stop hacking, piracy, and identity theft. Information Age brought about many new
inventions and innovations. Many communication services like texting, email, and social media
developed and the world has not been the same since. People learn new languages easier and
many books have been translated into different languages, so people around the world can
become more educated. However, the Information Age is not all good. There are people in the
world that believe they can live their entire life through the Internet. Also, huge criminal
organizations rely on hacking into government systems and obtaining confidential information to
continue their way of life. Jobs have also become easier, and some jobs can even be done from
the comfort of your own home. The Information Age is also known as the Age of
Entrepreneurship. Now entrepreneurs can start and run a company easier than ever before. It also
impacts our work ethics by distracting us and causing us to lose interest in the task we are doing.
This time period has also created a shortage of jobs and making many jobs obsolete because
machines are now being used to do the work humans once did. Our lives have changed greatly
because of technology. The Internet has opened up a whole new world of information that
everyone can access and utilize. When a student has a project to complete and research is
required, years ago the student would have gone to the library and spent hours searching through
stacks of books just to find some relevant information. Now, a student can create a query on the
Internet through a search engine and is presented with thousands of resources available at their
fingertips. Through the use of technology, we can also help to preserve the biodiversity.
According to Walter Rosen (1986), the term biodiversity is an all-encompassing concept that refers
to the diversity within the entirety of the world’s biosphere, as measured at various scales, including
between individuals, populations, species, communities and ecosystems. Biodiversity thus
encompasses genetic, species and habitat diversity. This simply means, biodiversity is a variation of
species in the world. However, it is vital to learn and know the value of biodiversity not only in our
country but to the whole world and how it plays a major role in maintaining the balance of the Earth.
Biodiversity is a vast variety of life form in the entire Earth, variability among all living
organisms of all sources including terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystem and ecological
complexes. It is also the source of life for all and has direct consumptive value in food,
agriculture, medicine and industry. Technology can be used to restore biodiversity as well as to
destroy it, either intentional or unintentional, through its unmanaged effects, like for example are
the some types of genetic engineering. Therefore, awareness and responsibility are key when
designing and utilizing any type of technology.

There are three types of biodiversity, these are the genetic diversity which is defined as
diversity of the genes within species, second one is the species diversity, this a diversity among
species in an ecosystem and the other one is the ecosystem diversity, which is diversity of a
habitat in a given unit area. Philippines were considered one of the most biologically diverse
countries in the world. It is extremely wide and the discovery rate of new species in our country
is the highest in South East Asia. One of reasons behind the extreme biologically diversity is due
to its location and nearness to equator, because being near to equator has a good environment
that is appropriate for many species. As I watched from the Discovery Channel just recently, the
number of mammals in Philippines is even five times greater than the expected number of
mammals of a country, the size of the Philippines. Another thing, Philippines is an archipelago
and the isolation of islands/regions from each other is a factor for its high biodiversity. Sadly,
there had been general and global-scale crisis of mass extinctions and habitat loss. Everything
depends upon biological diversity of different plants and animals, but because of some reasons,
the diversity is decreasing day by day. Philippines were considered to be a region in the world
where there is a high concentration of threatened species. These changes in biodiversity could
bring varied effects. It could have bad effects not only in wildlife or marine life but also for us,
human beings. There are five threats to biodiversity, the first one is the habitat loss and
destruction, these is the inhabitation of human beings and the use of land for economic gains
such as wide fires. Another one is the alterations in ecosystem composition, the sudden changes
either within species groups or within the environment could begin to change entire ecosystem.
The over exploitation is also another threat, the over-hunting, overfishing and over-collecting of
species can quickly lead to loss of habitat. The unsustainable exploitation of natural resources
could have led to loss of biodiversity. The fourth one is the pollution and contamination who
causes irreversible damage to species and varieties. Biological systems respond slowly to
changes in their surrounding environment. The fifth and last one is the global climate change, the
climate variability and climate change cause biodiversity loss. The species and populations may
lose permanently if they are not provided with enough time to adapt to changing climatic
conditions.

The thing that struck me as interesting is the gradual destruction of our ecosystem from
people who use them as a profit for livelihood. I’m always wondering why those people destroy
the very thing that gives them life. When it comes to economic perspectives, I believe that those
kinds are abusing things that can give them marginal benefits in long run. They may capture and
sell animals they caught, but they still tend to look in the micro level, if they just only take a step
back at look at the big picture, then they would see how protecting our biodiversity as a great
asset not only for them but to the whole world. Due to its loss, there have consequences. The loss
of biodiversity has many consequences that we understand, and many that we don’t.
Biodiversity is extremely vital to maintain our ecological system and everything depends upon
the biological diversity of different plants and animals. Most noteworthy, many species of plants
and animals are dependent on each other. However, if one of them gets instinct, the other will be
endangered too. Moreover, it is vital for humans because our survival depends on plants and
animals. For some instances, human needs food to survive, if Earth does not give us favorable
environment, then we cannot grow any crops. As a result, it will no longer be possible for us to
sustain on this planet.

This might not seem to be a big deal since there are millions of species on Earth, the
deaths of a few might seem barely noticeable. Biodiversity thrived on the lack of interference for
millions of years, and humans, being the most destructive species on Earth, has decreased that.
Biodiversity plays a major role in maintaining the balance of the Earth, and we as a responsible
humans, we must conserve and protect what God given to us. It is important as it brings about
great economic growth and benefits. As an aspiring economist in near future, I do believe that
the biodiversity of the Philippines is one of the greatest assets of our country, can bring
environmental tourism, pleasures to the population, technological and medical advancement and
positive emotional assets. Therefore, we should take various countermeasures to stop the
reduction of endangering of species. The lack of education and information regarding the value
of our biodiversity is counter-productive to our goal of economic growth and development.
Furthermore, pollution from vehicles should decrease, so that animals can get fresh air to
breathe. Moreover, it will also decrease global warming which is the major cause of the
extinction of species. It is vital to conserve our environment because it is our treasure to keep.
Species richness and evenness are just a few of the dimensions that can express biodiversity. And
as an aspiring economist and Earth warrior, I stand for the conservation of biodiversity. I’ll be a
responsible educator for those who abuses the ecosystem.

Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) is a term used for an organism created through
genetic engineering. These are any sort of live organism whose genetic material (DNA) has been
modified through human interaction with bioengineering technology, also referred to as
transgenic organism. The goal of this genetic engineering process is to create new varieties of
plants and animals with chosen characteristics. While humans have intervened in the genetic
development of plants and animals over the millennia, these new bio-engineered interventions
are of a different order. This creates combinations of plant, animal, bacteria, and virus genes that
do not occur in nature or through traditional crossbreeding methods. With that in mind, GMOs
are living beings that have had their genetic code changed in some way. While conventional
breeding, which has been going on for centuries, involves mixing all of the genes from two
different sources, producing a GMO is much more targeted. Rather than crossing two plants out
in the field, they insert a gene or two into individual cells in a lab. Yet, as mentioned earlier, GM
technology can also be used on microorganisms. For example, bacteria have been genetically
modified to produce medicines that can cure diseases or vaccines that prevent them. A
commonly used medicine that comes from a genetically modified source is insulin, which is used
to treat diabetes, but there are many others. Most GMOs have been engineered to withstand the
direct application of herbicide and/or to produce an insecticide. However, new technologies are
now being used to artificially develop other traits in plants, such as a resistance to browning in
apples, and to create new organisms using synthetic biology. Despite biotech industry promises,
there is no evidence that any of the GMOs currently on the market offer increased yield, drought
tolerance, enhanced nutrition, or any other consumer benefit.

A fundamental point that needs to be made is that the natural world—as expressed in
plants, seeds, animals, etc.—has intrinsic value and exists in its own right. It is not dependent
upon the value humans place upon it, but rather, by its very existence, each dimension of Earth
life has a right to be. It also has the right to make its contribution to the maintenance and
celebration of the larger Earth community. Therefore, human interaction with the natural world
is not a relationship of control over or dominance of, but rather, as members and co-creators of
one community of life, the shared task is to advance the total Earth community. To understand
this relationship of community, of an essential oneness in the great unfolding story of the
universe, is to situate the whole human project in a posture of deep respect for and interaction
with the natural world.

Genetically modified organisms may offer short term benefits to humans, but their long
term consequences for humans and the rest of creation are unknown. The earth and its life forms
are the product of millions of years of evolution and the web of ecological interactions is vast
and complex. Genetic modification of organisms is predicated on a simplistic model that the
expression of genes is mechanistic and predictable. This is not the case: the expression of genetic
information is the result of complex interactions within the living organism and between the
organism and its environment. No scientist can predict what will happen over time as a result of
the introduction of genetically modified organisms into the environment. The effect of GMOs on
biodiversity is another area of controversy. As scientists perfect genetically modified varieties
and these varieties are used more and more, the natural genetic diversity of the organisms is
likely to be lost. Genetic diversity is a form of “insurance” against unforeseen natural disasters.
If a species becomes subject to disease, blight, or some other environmental challenge, species
with no genetic diversity will be subject to catastrophic loss, but those with genetic diversity may
have individuals with the genetic make-up to resist the challenge. So important is the insurance
value of genetic diversity that seed banks have been created to house genetically diverse varieties
of agricultural seeds. Because GMOs are novel life forms, biotechnology companies have been
able to obtain patents to control the use and distribution of their genetically engineered seeds.
Genetically modified crops therefore pose a serious threat to farmer sovereignty and to the
national food security of any country where they are grown.

There may be appropriate ways to use new technologies if they address some of the key
issues raised by people in a society— widespread hunger, drought, water shortages, poor soil,
limited access to land. Yet we believe that serious questions must be asked about whether the
present technological direction addresses these problems, whether it creates new problems, and
whether it is appropriate to the continuing evolution of the full community of life on Earth.

Conclusion

To sum up this integration, it would be vital for us to learn about the three topics
mentioned above as we can use and apply it for our everyday life. Information age is a big
contributor how we live our life today. The problems that stem from the blind belief that better
technology automatically leads to a better life are becoming more and more clear. I believe that
the answer to these problems is not an outright rejection of the new technologies themselves, but
rather a responsible reevaluation of how we use them. It is my hope that the coming decade will
see more and more people making this evaluation. Technology can be used to restore
biodiversity as well as to destroy it, either intentional or unintentional, through its unmanaged
effects, like for example are the some types of genetic engineering. Therefore, awareness and
responsibility are key when designing and utilizing any type of technology. On the other hand,
the centralization of the internet in the form of ultra-popular websites such as Google and
Facebook leads to an intimidating level of power and control of information by a few omnipotent
companies. The majority of things that have been changed by the technology are beneficial to
disabled people and help people improve there lives. Technology has made life much easier for
people and safer however it has also created new crimes, technology has change education a lot
and improved facts and knowledge and helped humans gain the information we require.
Technology also has changed the way we communicate with each other and with technology and
the internet we can keep in contact with people that live far away for free and without costing
also of money, people can now work at home and do the job they need to complete from the
comfort of their own home, there are negatives to this though because there are a lot of
distractions at ones house, so I have concluded that technology has benefited us especially in
conserving biodiversity. Is biodiversity a goal in itself, or is it a means to other, more
fundamental goals? Determining our goals involves scientific, economic, and social as well as
ethical considerations, but we seem to agree that a healthy human community and economy must
be integrated with a healthy land community. While we fumble toward defining land health, we
must protect it, and regarding biodiversity, we know its reduction would reduce the potential for
future economic and health developments. Underlying survival values are the natural givens that
support everything else--forests, sunshine, wind, rain, rivers, soils, seasons, flora and fauna,
trophic pyramids, and succession. The ecological services provided, such as air and water
purification, soil formation and protection, carbon sequestering, groundwater recharging, and
evolution itself, make civilization possible. For myself, I can come only to a general conclusion:
that biodiversity has values worth protecting, despite scientific and economic uncertainty,
because when the risk of impact on people or the land is high, we should act with caution and
maintain future options. Protecting biodiversity is a way to hedge our bets for survival. To make
the world a safe place for all organisms, we must maintain good health in all the ecosystems.
This is the benefit of paying attention to biodiversity. It is not possible for the human to live all
alone on the Earth. Various other life forms are equally important and play their roles in the
mutual survival of the various species on the Earth. Each one of species has its own set of
contribution for the environment. Already many species have become extinct as they were not
able to survive in the changing weather conditions. Hence it is our duty to ensure that our
activities do not affect the other flora and fauna on the planet. Although there are a number of
steps taken by the government so as to preserve the various life forms, we should also contribute
individually towards this cause. If we do not act today, we may yet again witness the extinction
of the vulnerable biodiversity which may further disturb the balance of nature. By using the
technology, we can conserve the organisms. Genetically modified organisms can be plants or
animals that have been genetically altered to produce or express a desired characteristic or trait. By
genetically altering organisms such as crops, we can eliminate the use of pesticides by making the
crops resistance to insects. We can also produce crops that are resistant to floods and droughts.
Furthermore, with the use of molecular genetics, we are able to produce foods that are rich in
nutrients and supplements. People in developing countries may not be fortunate enough to have a
full course meal that contains nutrients from all four basic food groups. However, GMOs can with
a little modification provide all the amino acids, vitamins, and minerals included in a good diet by
simply consuming a genetically modified staple crop such as rice. In addition, by producing crops
that are resistant to harsh environmental conditions as well as pests, we would see a rapid increase
in the production of food thereby reducing and or possibly eliminating starvation in developing
countries.

However, Information Age has changed people, technology, science, economies, culture,
and even the way people think. Internet who is arguably the most prominent innovation of this
era, who changed the way people do everything. It has made people lazier, but also makes a large
amount of population smarter. By the use of technology, GM crops can help reduce application
of pesticides and ensure we conserve biodiversity. The Information Age is now, it is how we use
to conserve the biodiversity, whether we use it in a bad or a good way. Every era from the Stone
Age up to The Industrial Revolution has led to the world as we know it. Without the information,
knowledge and discoveries of those from the past, we would not be where we are today. The past
has shaped our present and will continue to shape our future.

References

DeLeonardis J. (2019, December 24). Reflections on the Information Age. Retrieved from

https://accesslocal.tv/2019/12/24/reflections-on-the-information-age/

Gakpo, J.O. (2018, July 18). Ghana’s GMO conservation turns to biodiversity. Retrieved from

https://allianceforscience.cornell.edu/blog/2018/07/ghanas-gmo-conservation-turns-
biodiversity/

GMO Facts. (n.d). Retrieved from https://www.nongmoproject.org/gmo-facts/

History of Technology. (n.d). Retrieved from

 https://historyoftechnologyif.weebly.com/informatio-age.html

Information Age. (n.d). Retrieved from

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_Age#:~;text=The%20Information%20Age
%20(also%20known,primarily%20based%20upon%20information%20technology.

Riego, J. (2021). Biodiversity and Healthy Society [PowerPoint Slides]. Google Classroom.

Riego, J. (2021). Information Age [PowerPoint Slides]. Google Classroom.

Riego, J. (2021). Genetically Modified Organism [PowerPoint Slides]. Google Classroom.