4.13 - 4.16 : Human impact on resources

Question 1

Blurt everything you know about the William Withering’s digitalis soup.

Answer 1

• William Withering was a doctor, who in 1985 heard that one of his patients who had swollen tissues(dropsy) recovered after drinking a herbal remedy. He found out that** the remedy contained foxglove extract** the problem was that too little digitalis would be an ineffective treatment whereas too much would be fatal since foxgloves are poisonous. Not letting it worry him too much, he prepared a digitalis soup with a concentration he hoped would work and gave it to his patients
  He varied the concentration he gave to each patient and used a crude method of trial and error to work out which was the optimum concentration.

Question 2

Name and describe the steps taken nowadays when we test for drugs.

Answer 2

1. Preclinical testing
   - Carried out on human tissues in a lab.
   - Then tested on live animals to check if the drug is safe before testing on humans.
2. Clinical trials
   - Phase 1 : Drug tested on a small group of healthy individuals to ensure its a safe dosage and to check for any side effects.
   - Phase 2 : Drug is tested on a large group to see how well the drug works and what the right dosage is.
   - Phase 3 : Drug is tested on an even larger group of patients. To ensure effectiveness. Double blind trail takes place here.

Question 3

Why is it important to randomly assign patients to the treatments and have a double blind trial?

Answer 3

Avoids reporting bias, since no one knows who is treated and who is not and therefore all treatment groups should be treated the same.

Question 4

What is a placebo

Answer 4

• Sugar pill
• Inactive substance that looks exactly like the drug

Question 5

Make two flowcharts compairing the stages that William Withering went through and the steps involved in developing a new drug today.

Answer 5

Question 6

Why is the he current system of drug testing safer and more reliable?

Answer 6

drug testing is much more rigorous and (usually) safer. Before a drug is available to the public, it must first be tested for toxicity on animals before undergoing three phases of testing.

Question 7

What do we gain nowadays from testing the drug on healthy volunteers first?

Answer 7

• To check that they are safe and whether there are any side effects.

Question 8

Blurt all the conditions you know for bacteria growth.

Answer 8

• Nutrients to respire and grow.
• Oxygen for aerobic respiration.
• Temperature so enzyme activity isn’t disturbed.

Question 9

What does conservation involve ?

Answer 9

• The protection and management of endangered species

Question 10

What ways do humans try to conserve endangered species and genetic diversity ?

Answer 10

Via zoos and seedbanks

Question 11

Blurt everything you know about what are seedbanks and their purpose ?

Answer 11

• Seedbanks are stores of lots of seeds from lots of different species of plants, including endangered ones.
• They help conserve biodiversity by storing seeds of endangered plants.
• If plants become extinct in the wild, stored seeds can be used to grow new plants.
• Seedbanks also conserve genetic diversity by storing seeds with different characteristics (e.g., tall vs. short sunflowers).

Question 12

How do seedbanks work ?

Answer 12

1. Storage Conditions: Seeds are stored in cool, dry conditions to ensure longevity.
2. Viability Testing:
   - Seeds are tested for their ability to grow into plants.
   - Viable seeds are planted, grown, and new seeds are harvested for storage.

Question 13

Blurt some advantages of using seedbanks.

Answer 13

Question 14

Blurt some disadvantages of using seedbanks.

Answer 14

Question 15

What are captive breeding programmes and how do they work ?

Answer 15

• A programme that involves breeding animals in controlled environments.
• species that are endangered or extinct in the wild can be bred together in zoos to increase their numbers

Question 16

Disadvantages of captive breeding.

Answer 16

• Animals can have problems breeding outside their natural habitat, which can be hard to recreate in a zoo. For example, pandas do not reproduce as successfully in captivity as they do in the wild
• It’s unethical many people think it’s cruel to keep animal in captivity.

Question 17

Benefits of reintroducing organisms into the wild.

Answer 17

• It can increase numbers in the wild : Plants from seedbanks or animals bred in zoos help conserve species and bring them back from the brink of extinction.
• Supports ecosystems : Helps organisms that rely on these plants or animals for food or as part of their habitat.
• Restores habitats : Reintroduction contributes to restoring lost habitats, e.g., rainforests that have been cut down.

Question 18

How can seedbanks contribute to scientific research and advantages of using them ?

Answer 18

1. Scientists can study how plant species grow from seeds, aiding reintroduction to the wild.
2. Seedbanks support medical research, development of new crops, and new materials without removing plants from the wild.

Question 19

Disadvantages of using seedbanks for scientific research

Answer 19

Studying seeds from seedbanks may limit data to small, interbred populations, making findings less representative of wild plants.

Question 20

How can zoos contribute to scientific research and advantages of using them ?

Answer 20

1. Zoo research increases knowledge of animal behaviour, physiology, and nutritional needs, contributing to conservation efforts.
2. Enables research not possible in the wild, e.g., nutritional or reproductive studies.

Question 21

Disadvantages of using zoo for scientific research

Answer 21

• A disadvantage is that animals in captivity may act differently to those in the wild limiting research applicability.

Question 22

How do seedbanks educate people ?

Answer 22

• Seedbanks contribute to education by providing training and setting up local seedbanks all round the
  world. For example, the Millennium Seed Bank Project aims to conserve seeds in their original country

Question 23

How do zoos educate people ?

Answer 23

• Zoos let people get close to organisms, increasing their enthusiasm for conservation work

Question 24

Define the term sustainability ?

Answer 24

• Sustainability is all about using resources in a way that meets the needs of the present generation without
  messing it up for future generations (i.e. not using something up so there’s none left).

Question 25

How does starch contribute to sustainability ?

Answer 25

• Using them to create bioplastics.
• Making plastics from starch is more sustainable than using oil since it reduces fossil fuel consumption and the crops used for starch can be regrown.
• Bioethanol as Fuel: Vehicle fuel is typically oil-based, but starch can be used to make bioethanol, a renewable fuel alternative.
• Sustainability of Starch-Based Fuel: Using starch for fuel is also more sustainable as it decreases fossil fuel dependency, and crops can be replenished.

Question 26

What is a disadvantage of making ropes from plant fibres ?

Answer 26

Plant fibres are generally not as strong as ropes made of plastic.