Genetically Modified Organisms

Question 1

What are the three types of geneticaly modified organisms?

Answer 1

agriculture

industry and research

medicines

Question 2

What is agriculture in genetically modified organisms?

Answer 2

e.g. soya bean or golden rice

Question 3

What are the uses of agriculture?

Answer 3

• we can express a protein from bacteria
• protein is toxic to insects
• fewer insects eat soya plant
• gene form corn - rice
• express vitamin A

Question 4

What are the advantages of agriculture?

Answer 4

• uses less chemical pestiride
• more effcient food chain
• prevents blindness by vitamin A deficiency

Question 5

What are the disadvantages of agriculture?

Answer 5

• monoculture of crop has low genetic diversity
• makes them susceptible to enviromental factors e.g. diseases
• farmers have to buy their seeds every year
• decrease in biodiversity

Question 6

What are the uses of industry and research?

Answer 6

• makes enzymes e.g. renin / lipases for washing powders
• make transformed pathogens to TREAT diseases - attacks other pathogens but dont
  infect humans

Question 7

What are the benefits of industry and research?

Answer 7

• reduce energy and cost
• fast and cheap production
• treat disease
• pathogens wont develop resistance
• reduce suffering

Question 8

What are the disadvantages of industry and research?

Answer 8

• could mutate and infect humans

- could be used in war as a bioweapon

Question 9

What are the uses of medicines?

Answer 9

• transform bacteria to exspress proteins
• mammals can also be transformed to produce useful products in
  their milk

Question 10

What are the advantages of medicines?

Answer 10

• makes human proteins

- cheapier and easier than making proteins synthetically

Question 11

What are the disadvantages of medicines?

Answer 11

• possiblee unexpected problems e.g. cancer in mammals

- using animals as commodities e.g. using insulin to treat type 1 diabetes