Biotechnology

Question 1

Define biotechnology

Answer 1

Any technological system that uses biological systems, living organisms or derivatives thereof to make or modify products for specific uses

Question 2

Why do the ethical concerns with biotechnology applications

Answer 2

1. Public attitudes

2. Consumer acceptance

Question 3

Name 6 current biotechnology applications

Answer 3

1. understanding genes
2. research models of human diseases
3. providing organs and tissues for human transplants
4. Productions of therapeutic compounds (pharming)
5. Stem cell research
6. Therapeutic and reproductive cloning

Question 4

List three highly controversial issues associated with biotechnology

Answer 4

1. GMO and transgenic animals
2. Stem cell research
3. Human and animal cloning

Question 5

List the two main intrinsic concerns associated with biotechnology

Answer 5

Religious concerns

Respect for nature

Question 6

What are some of the extrinsic concerns with biotechnology

Answer 6

Risks, applications and predictions

Question 7

What are some of the benefits associated with GM crops?

Answer 7

• Potential to alleviate poverty and hunger
• Reduced use of insecticides
• Use of more environmentally friendly insecticides

Question 8

What are some of the concerns associated with GM crops?

Answer 8

• transgenes could spread to other crops
• possibility of the creation of superweeds and resistant insects, viruses, bacteria and fungi
• Are they bad for us?

Question 9

Explain how biotechnology could be beneficial to animal welfare

Answer 9

1. increased resistance
2. decrease in undesirable practices such as the destruction of day old chicks
3. protecting an endangered species from extinction

Question 10

What is ‘pharming’?

Answer 10

medical and agricultural cloning

Question 11

What are some of the uses of animal cloning?

Answer 11

• Production of human proteins and tissues
• protection of endangered species
• can replace lost animals (but not lost habitats)

Question 12

What are some of the concerns associated with animal cloning?

Answer 12

• Does not respect the uniqueness and individuality of all animals
• Many trials and procedures are carried out on animals in order to produce a clone
• The success rate is low
• There are almost no normal clones- genetic abnormalities are common

Question 13

Name the two different types of human cloning

Answer 13

1. Therapeutic

2. Reproductive

Question 14

What is therapeutic cloning?

Answer 14

Making an embryo from patients own healthy cells to provide stem cells for treatment of diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and heart disease

Question 15

What is reproductive cloning?

Answer 15

Making a genetically identical individual

Question 16

where are embryonic stem cells derived from?

Answer 16

Embryos created in the lab by using IVF, somatic cell nuclear replacement using donated eggs and nuclei from adult tissue and activating a human egg without a sperm

Question 17

Where are adult stem cells derived from?

Answer 17

Adult or foetal tissue

Question 18

State the two biggest concerns associated with therapeutic cloning?

Answer 18

• Human embryo demands respect as a human being, so that intentional production of embryos for research, or the use of ‘spare embryos’ in IVF is tantamount to murder
• Technique for therapeutic cloning essentially the same as for reproductive cloning high risk that this will be exploited – ‘slippery slope’

Question 19

Name the three main viewpoints associated with the question ‘when does human life begin?’

Answer 19

Pro-life/religious
scientific
pro-choice