Biology in Your WorldExploring Technology

Solving Real-World ProblemsMany issues in our world are related to biology

Biologists are working to try to solve these problems

We will explore some of these issues specifically and discuss what biologist are doing to combat these issues

Solving Real-World ProblemsPreserving our environmentMore than 6 billion people live on EarthOur increasing population impacts other organisms

on the planetExample: Depletion of rain forests

Problem: Lost species through extinctionConservation Biologists have been studying ways to

preserve the environmentExample: French Fries

Problem: Half of the potato is discarded as wasteSolution: Mix with grain to feed cattle. Also, leftover

water from processing is now used in power plants

Solving Real-World ProblemsImproving the food supplyGenetic engineering of crops

Created crops resistant to herbicidesCreated crops with built in pesticidesCreated crops with increased nutritional value

Example: Rice with vitamin A and ironProblem: Many people throughout the world do not have

access to a balanced dietSolution: Adding genes from other plants, rice can be

grown with vitamin A and iron to increase the nutritional value of this crop

Concern: The long term safety of genetically engineered crops is still being studied

Solving Real-World ProblemsUnderstanding the human genomeGenome: The complete genetic material

contained in an individualThe human genome contains 3 billion unitsIn April 2003, the human genome map was

completedIt will take years to analyze the resultsAlready being used in medical research

Fighting DiseaseScientific advances in medicine cure disease and

improve healing every dayAIDS:A fatal immune disease caused by the HIV virus that

attacks the human immune systemHIV is transmitted by contact with bodily fluids from

an infected personBiologists have developed a combination of drugs to

slow the progression of AIDSBiologists are working to stop the spread of the virusA vaccine to stop the spread of AIDS is currently

being tested

Fighting DiseaseCancer:A growth defect in cells that causes a breakdown of

the mechanism that controls cell growthBiologists have been doing research on cancer for

over 30 yearsWe now know how to prevent some cancers, like lung cancer

Other cancers can be treated if detected in the early stages

Some anti-cancer drugs have been created that stick to the proteins in cells that are responsible for excess cell division

Fighting DiseaseEmerging DiseasesThe past few years we have seen the

emergence of new diseases from the other part of the worldExamples:

West Nile Virus- first found in US in 1999 Mad cow disease- prevalent in Europe H1N1- “Swine Flu” emerged in Mexico last spring

Fighting DiseaseGene TherapyThe idea of introducing “healthy” genes into

people suffering from hereditary disordersExample:

Cystic Fibrosis- fatal disorder of the mucus membranes Use of a virus to introduce a normal copy of the

defective gene into cells of the CF patients Early attempts failed- studies are ongoing

Gene therapy, or replacement of a defective gene with a normal gene are also being researched for muscular dystrophy or hemophilia patients