B7 - Further Biology (New Technologies)

Question 1

What is a fermenter?

Answer 1

A controlled environment that has ideal conditions for microorganisms to live in, feed and produce the proteins needed.

Question 2

What can fermenters be used to grow? (5 things)

Answer 2

• Microorganisms or their products (e.g. industrial quantities of anitbiotics and other medicines)
• Single-cell proteins (e.g. mycoprotein which is the main ingredient for Quorn meat substitute)
• Enzymes that can be used in food production (e.g. chymosin which is a vegetarian substitute for rennin used in cheese-making)
• Enzymes that can be used in washing powders to digest stains (mainly proteins)
• Enzymes to make biofuel, such as ethanol (from the fermentation of sugar) to use in cards, or methane gas (from the fermentation of waste) to produce electricity

Question 3

What makes bacteria so ideal for usage in genetic and industrial processes? (5 things)

Answer 3

• They have a very simple biochemistry, making them easier to work with
• They reproduce very rapidly and so produce the end product of the process quickly and in large amounts
• They have the ability to make complex molecules from simple ones
• They possess DNA as plasmids for ease of modification
• There is no ethical opposition to their culture, unlike the use of animals for example.

Question 4

What does DNA contain?

Answer 4

The code for the protein a particular organism needs.

Question 5

Proteins produced by one organism…

Answer 5

…may not be produced by another

Question 6

By carrying out ____________________, the gene that produces a desirable protein can be inserted into another organism so that it too produces the right protein.

Answer 6

Genetic modification

Question 7

How is genetic modification carried out? (5 steps)

Answer 7

• The desired gene is selected and isolated
• The desired gene is inserted into the target bacterium, using a vector, i.e. a virus or a plasmid.
• The gene is replicated, i.e. it’s copied exactly to make the number of genes increase.
• The gene is then inserted/transferred into the target organism
• From all the modified individuals, select those that show the new modified characteristics.

Question 8

Genetic modification has the potential to solve many problems for society. Give some examples as to how it can be used

Answer 8

• Used to produce healthier crops with greater yields
• Produce disease-resistant crops, which reduces the need for pollution-causing pesticides
• Enable some crops (e.g. bananas) to naturally carry vaccines so they don’t need to be kept refrigerated
• Allow organisms to monitor the release and spread of genetically modified crops by looking for antibiotic-resistant markers in crops (the markers will only be there if the crop has been modified)
• Enable some drugs (e.g. insulin) to be made from human, rather than animal, DNA
• Make some crops resistant to a herbicide, so that all other plants are killed by spraying and not the crop, leading to higher yields and easier harvesting.

Question 9

Explain how genetic testing is carried out. (HT)

Answer 9

• DNA is isolated from the nucleus of a white blood cell. The DNA is often amplified so that there’s enough matieral to experiment with. It’s then broken up into different sized pieces.
• A gene probe is created. This is a single-stranded DNA or RNA sequence that has bases that pair up with complementary bases on the target gene. The probe will only attach if the desired gene is present in a sample and so acts as a marker
• Ultraviolet (UV) light is used to locate the marker if the probe has a marker that causes it to fluoresce when UV light is shone onto it.

Question 10

What is nanotechnology?

Answer 10

The science of working with extremely small structures (only the size of some molecules)

Question 11

Nanotechnology can be used in many different ways. Give 2 examples.

Answer 11

• Medicine

- The food industry

Question 12

Give some examples of the application of nanotechnology in the food industry.

Answer 12

• Building biosensors in packaging to monitor food quality by detecting harmful microorganisms and perhaps changing colour as a warning. This ensures that the microorganisms don’t enter the food chain and extends the shelf-life of the food, i.e. how long it stays safe and edible.
• Using nanoparticles in packaging, e.g. adding silver to act as an antimicrobial coating to stop decay organisms attacking the food and increasing its shelf-life.

Question 13

What are stem cells?

Answer 13

Cells that are completely unspecialised.

Question 14

What do stem cells have the potential to develop into?

Answer 14

Any specialised cell

Question 15

Where can specialised cells be found?

Answer 15

In developing embryos, umbilical cords and in adult tissues, e.g. bone marrow

Question 16

Stem cell technology has many potential applications. Give some examples of this.

Answer 16

• Bone marrow transplants – stem cells can be used to stimulate the regeneration of white blood cells in the treatment of leukaemia (blood cancer)
• Treating spinal cord injuries – stem cells can heal the damage by helping to regenerate neurons
• Using cell culture – stem cells can be grown and transformed into new tissues or organs, e.g. skin and cornea for transplant in the treatment of burns and blindness

Question 17

What does biomedical engineering involve?

Answer 17

Engineering techniques and ideas to solve medical problems.

Question 18

What two things does biomedical engineering involve?

Answer 18

• Pacemakers (electrical devices, usually implanted under the skin, to replace the heart’s own pacemaker region, the sinoatrial node, to maintain an adequate and regular heartbeat)
• Replacement heart valves (devices that keep the blood flow within the heart efficient if a natural valve malfunctions)

Question 19

What are containers of growing microorganisms that make products useful to industry, e.g. enzymes, called?

Answer 19

Fermenters

Question 20

Nanotechnology could deliver improvements to our lives. However, some people say that it is ‘not worth the risk’. Explain why we can’t remove all risk and what policy-makers have to consider before going ahead.

Answer 20

This is a model answer which would score full marks.

Nothing is without risk - even not doing something carries a risk. Sometimes we don’t even know what the risks are until they happen. The consequences of some risks can be greater than others, so policy-makers have to balance the potential risk with the potential benefit, if the benefits are greater and will help many people, then it can go ahead.