Intro to Biotech Flashcards
Study involving the manipulation of living organisms and organic material to serve human needs
biotechnology
Sources of R&D funding
public (gov’t) and private (companies and foundation)
discovers bacteria using a simple microscope
Antony van Leeuwoenhoek (1675)
Austrian monk who conducted the first genetics experiments using pea plants in the mid 1800s; founder of genetics
Gregory Mendel (1863)
Disproved the notion of spontaneous generation, describing the role of bacteria in spoilage and the scientific basis of fermentation;
created rabies vaccine
Louis Pasteur (1870’s)
Invented the compound light microscope and was the first to observe cells in cork
Robert Hooke (1665)
Englishmen responsible for the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA using x-ray photographs
James Watson and Francis Crick (1953)
Stanford Univ. scientist who first developed recombinant DNA tech
Paul Berg (1972)
recombinant DNA tech
method of insertion of genetic material from one organism into another, allowing more rapid and specific improvements in plants and animals
Physiologist from Cambridge Univ. who invented and practiced the first human IVF and won a Noble PRize in 2010
Robert Edwards (1978)
Cloned the first mammal “Dolly” with somatic nuclear transfer tech (SCNT)
Ian Wilmut (1996)
Represented efforts from private and public sector to complete the first draft of human genome sequence
Craig Venter and Francis Collins (2000)
Discovered DNA in trout sperm
German Miescher
Who first used the word “biotechnology?”
Hungarian agricultural engineer (1919)
When did the US Supreme court approved the patenting of genetically altered organisms?
1980
Biotechnology technique that gained widespread acceptance as a method to quickly and cheaply produce genetically identical plants
plant tissue culture
Which bacterium’s gene was used to introduce natural insect resistance to bt corn and soybeans?
Bacillus thuringensis
Who is the first animal cloned from diploid cells in Scotland?
Dolly
Method that uses natural organisms to clean contaminants
bioremediation
Biotech activity in plant, animal, environmental and health/agri science
Plant sci: wide scale production of transgenic plants
Animal sci: increased use of IVF and artificial insemination to improve select breeds
Env. sci: Bioremediation
Health/Agri-med: pharming and use of biological barriers, DNA analysis/paternity testing
Problems with Biotech
- Transfer of genes found transgenic organisms to natural populations (terminator genes used to minimize risk)
- Unexpected impacts of GMO and biotech processes on other organisms and env.
- Expense of biotech techniques
- Concerns over safety and ethics of GMO’s in human food (ex: allergens; Starlink corn in taco shells)
- Lack of education among both consumers and producers
