Genetic Engineering

Question 1

How can plants be cloned?

Answer 1

From cuttings and tissue culture

Question 2

How are cuttings used to clone plants?

Answer 2

Gardeners take cuttings from good parent plants and then plant them to produce genetically identical copies of the parent plant

Question 3

What is the adavantage of cloning plants by cuttings?

Answer 3

Quick and cheap

Question 4

How are plants cloned using tissue culture?

Answer 4

Few plant cells are put into a growth medium with hormones, and grow into the new plants

Question 5

What are the advantages of cloning from tissue culture?

Answer 5

Quick, can be grown all year and require little space

Question 6

How can you make an animal clone?

Answer 6

Using embryo transplants

Question 7

What are the main stages of embryo cloning?

Answer 7

1. Sperm cells are taken from male animal and egg from female then the sperm artificially fertilises the egg
2. The embryo that develops is split many times before any cell becomes specialised
3. These cloned embryos are implanted into may cows
4. Hundred of identical offspring are produced

Question 8

How else can a clone be made?

Answer 8

Adult cell cloning

Question 9

What are the main stages of adult cell cloning?

Answer 9

1. Taking an unfertilised egg and removing genetic material (nucleus)
2. Full set of chromosomes from adult body cell are inserted into empty egg cell
3. The egg cell is stimulated by an electric shock, this makes it divide
4. When embryo becomes a ball of cell it is implanted into an adult female, and the embryo grows into a genetically identical copy

Question 10

What are the advantages of cloning?

Answer 10

Help preserve endangered species

Can lead to a greater understanding of development of embryo

Question 11

What are the disadvantages of cloning?

Answer 11

Cloned animals may not be as healthy as normal ones

Humans might be cloned in the future and if this fails then people may be born with disabilities

Question 12

What is genetic engineering?

Answer 12

Uses enzymes to cut and paste genes

Question 13

What are the steps of genetic engineering?

Answer 13

Useful gene is cut from an organisms chromosome using enzymes
Enzymes then cut another organisms chromosome and then insert the useful gene

Question 14

What are the advantages of genetic engineering?

Answer 14

GM crops have had their genes modified to make them resistant to viruses and insects so this can improve food supply
Genetic disorders may be cured

Question 15

What are the disadvantages of genetic engineering?

Answer 15

We don’t know the permanent problems of it

Problems may be passed onto further generations

Question 16

What are the advantages of GM crops?

Answer 16

• Can increase the yield of a crop, making more food

- GM crops can be engineered to produce nutrients that people in developing countries lack

Question 17

What are The disadvantages of GM crops?

Answer 17

• GM crops affect number of weeds and insects so reduces farmland biodiversity
• Some say they are not safe and cause allergies