Politics

Question 1

What is the pangenesis theory

Answer 1

Nurture theory
Changes in the environment cause changes in our genome which are passed down to generation
All somatic cells and organs are continuously contributing to the modification of the term cells
Always the environment

Question 2

What’s the theory of the continuity of the germ plasm

Answer 2

Argues strict separation between somatic cells and germ cells
Environment has no impact
All that matters in the germ line
rediscovered mendels genetics law which supports the nature theory
Gave credibility to the gene pool

Question 3

Who thought of eugenics

Answer 3

Francis Galton in 1883

Question 4

What dose eugenic mean

Answer 4

The improvement of genetic qualities

Aims to use science for human improvement over generations by changing the composition of human populations

Question 5

What was Francis Galton a eugenics theory

Answer 5

To check birth rate of the unfit, instead of allowing them to come into being

Improvement of the race by furthering the productivity of the fit by earlier marriages and healthier rearing children

Question 6

What is positive eugenics ?

Answer 6

Improving the quality of the gene pool
By selecting for traits he found positive and removing anything negative trait he deemed undesirable

Encouraged people with positive eugenics to mate and have children

Desirable trait — high intelligence healthy

Question 7

What is negative eugenics

Answer 7

Prevents the deterioration of the gene pool by optimising desired genes. Preventing the reproduction of the unfit

Immigration restriction
Race
Nationality
Ethnicity

Question 8

Did religion influence Francis Galton ?

Answer 8

In 1883 religion was say and all and be all

If they believe something it wouldn’t be changed by anyone (wouldn’t listen to scientific research which opposed to eugenics belief)

‘Eugenics should become one of the dominant notices in a civilisation much as religion’

Question 9

What is eugenics as example of ?

Answer 9

An example of pseudoscience
When scientific data is hijacked by political agenda

Statement that are based of scientific research but are incompatible with the scientific method

Exaggeration

Question 10

1932 textbook an eugenics - what was the race theory

Answer 10

Debate about different races and appearances

Long head = Nordic
Round head = Asian

Measured peoples head to figure out whether they were ‘worthy’ or the gene pool or not

Racist

Used science to exclude people
No scientific evidence to back this up

Question 11

Why did people believe eugenics

Answer 11

Didn’t have the technology we have now
Didn’t know about recessive allele as they were hidden behind dominant allele

Only see dominant allele

Question 12

What is the hardy Weinberg equilibrium

Answer 12

States that alleles and genotype frequencies in a population will remain constant from generation to generation in the absence of evolutionary factors

Question 13

How was eugenics used as a sociological tree

Answer 13

Francis Galton was related to both Darwin and wedgewood both famous influential scientists

Used eugenics to proved that keeping in the same gene pool as lead to him becoming a top scientist and influtential scientists

Formed a family tree

Found a connection between the genetic oool and highly intelligent people

Didn’t think it was the environment

Gene pool only

Question 14

What’s wrong when trying to link intelligence with phenotype

Answer 14

Badly defined
Probably more genes involved
Known now that environment plays a role

Question 15

What did Lamarck think

Answer 15

Predecessor of Darwin some say

Theory of acquired characteristics

All life forms arisen from continual process of gradual modification throughout geological history

New traits were developed because of a need created by the environment

Continuous change ((differs from Darwin who believed that the environment chose the environment))

Changes in the gene was due to the environment

Question 16

Which theory did the theory of acquired characteristics support

Answer 16

Panagist theory

And socialist movement (( the environment is impactful) (positive environment will have positive effects))

Question 17

Give an example of acquired characteristic theory

Answer 17

If a giraffe had a short neck at the beginning it adapted to have long necks to reach leaves

(Darwin - giraffes are selected by the environment natural selection)

Question 18

Is pseudoscience still around

Answer 18

Yeh

Political

Business

Media

Even bigger now with the amount of media / advertising

Question 19

What was the rio de janerio conference about

Answer 19

Produce a declaration on environment and development
Look at what we expect from science to impact these two factors

Bringing together as many people as possible

Question 20

What’s principle 1 of the Rio declaration

Answer 20

Entitled to a healthy and productive life in harmony with nature

Question 21

How many declarations did it consist of

Answer 21

27

Question 22

How many countries was the Rio act signed by?

Answer 22

175

Question 23

What’s another name for the Rio declaration

Answer 23

Earths summit

Question 24

What is the precautionary principle

Answer 24

Is a strategy for approaching issues of potential harm when extensive scientific knowledge on the matter is lacking.

Emphasises caution, pausing and review before leaping into new innovations that may prove disastrous

Question 25

Principle 3

Answer 25

Meet the developmental and environmental needs of present and future generations

Question 26

Principle 4

Answer 26

Environmental protection shall contribute to an integral part of the development process

Question 27

Principal 5

Answer 27

Eradicating poverty

Question 28

Principle 6

Answer 28

Priorities the needs of the developing world

Question 29

Principle 7

Answer 29

Developed countries acknowledge the responsibility to develop technologies and financial resources

Question 30

Principle 8

Answer 30

Reduce and eliminate unsustainable patterns of production and consumptions

Question 31

Principle 9

Answer 31

Enhancing the development, adaptation and diffusion of new technology including innovation technologies

Question 32

What needs to be remember about science and political agenda

Answer 32

Science changes with demand 1700s food security was an issue — would have given someone a knighthood for growing gm crops if it saved food crisis 1900s food security wasn’t an issue — refereed to as Frankenstein food ((only used for medical application even the rich get sick ))

Question 33

What was the main problem the Rio declaration was facing?

Answer 33

Growing population

Question 34

How was the population expected to grow in 1985 ? Was it accurate

Answer 34

World wide population was meant to grow from 4.8 billion in 1985 to 6.1 billion in 2000 and 8.2 in 2025 The prediction for 2000 was accurate therefore safe to assume the 2025 will be accurate too Europe has a stable population only growing from 0.49 in 1985 to 0.52 in 2025 Asia expected to have the biggest growth. 2025 over half the population will be growing in Asia going from 2.82 in 1985 to 4.54 in 2025 This shows that Asia will be the biggest driver for change. They will be the technology leaders

Question 35

How do you calculate the population supporting capacity number

Answer 35

Number of calorie production / minimum calorie production

Question 36

What are the 3 levels of crop production

Answer 36

Low tech (no fertiliser, no soil conservation) Intermediate technology (fertilisers, herbicides some sort conservation) High technology (genetic engineering, mixing crops and tech)

Question 37

Using population projection in 2000 and calorie intake what was found ?

Answer 37

Found that 117 developing countries taken together could produce enough food to feed 1 1/2 their projected population in 2000 even at low tech Individual countries — at low tech 64 countries lacked the resources to feed themselves — at high tech 19 countries lacked the resources to feed themselves (population 100million) ( includes countries which can afford to import all their food, Singapore) Demonstrates high tech could help food/ pop balance

Question 38

What is calorie intake

Answer 38

Average consumption of plant energy 6,000 calories daily (average) ranges from 3,000 to 15,000 Higher if you each meat because You have to incorporate the fact that you had to grow feed, feed the pig, transport the pig then process the pig — a lot more energy is used

Question 39

If calorie intake didn’t change how many people could we feed

Answer 39

The potential to feed a little more than 11 billion people

Question 40

It’s likely that the calories intake will change with the increase of money in developing countries, what would happen if the average became 9,000 daily

Answer 40

The production would be able to sustain 7.5 billion people Therefore thEre will be a demand for more land to sustain population growth. Not just technology, peoples attitude toward food intake needs to change

Question 41

What’s the potential hectares we have to work with

Answer 41

1.5 billion hectares

Question 42

What’s the average yield per hectare

Answer 42

5 tons with the potential of 8 tons (if we can implement more technologies into developing countries)

Question 43

What’s the green revolution

Answer 43

Improvements of crop yields in western countries - selection of night yielding crop variation - large scale farming - pesticides and herbicides 1960 Introduction of new lines of high yielding cereal variations in Asia laying America in 1965 1970s breeding and selecting plants which had high yielding plant varieties to disease and predators

Question 44

What’s happening to the growth rate in developing countries and developed countries

Answer 44

Developing countries = platoed in developed world between 1977-2001 Significantly decreased in the developing world between 1977-2001 Sown area Drastically decreased in developed countries between 1977-2001 (due to housing and environmental projects) Slightly increased in developed countries 1977-2001

Question 45

What are the regulations for introducing a new species

Answer 45

New species invading local habitat - successful vegetative or sexual reproduction - favourable abiotic condition (water, temp, atmosphere) - lack of competitors — want maximal propagation - lack of predators and disease Hybridisation - extent of pollen production - degree of interspecific pollination in cultigen and wild type - amount of pollen transported - spatial distance between two species - compatibility of the 2 genomes Reversion of cultigens to wild type form — cause the wild species to grow Economic and environment effects - weed development - replacement of local species - changes to insect population - new toxic metabolites — consumer

Question 46

What’s the risk assessment for the release of trans gene plants

Answer 46

- physical stability of the trans gene (no point introducing if transgene gets lost) - expression stability (more of a problem as it’s harder to predict) - horizontal gene transfer (rare, only for wind pollinated species) (however has been observed, bentgrass herbicide resistant transgene was found up to 3 miles away from planted region) - pleiotropic effects ( changes on one thing which changes another) - spread of disease (introducing parts of a virus into the environment) (use ampicillin resistance — bt trans genetically maize) - cross pollination (maize have both reproducive parts (tassels) Toxic effects for consumers or the environment ( link back to starlink) Vegetative propagation and adaptation to local environment ( don’t want to cause adverse events)

Question 47

Is gm natural

Answer 47

No

Question 48

What are the 3 types of classical farming

Answer 48

Classic farming with high input of pesticides and fertilisers Organic farming Cultivation of transgenic crops

Question 49

What will ever farming have an impact on

Answer 49

The environment Food quality Cost Farming structure

Question 50

Classic farming is intensive farming of monocultures what are the environmental impact?

Answer 50

Monoculture reduces the biodiversity of crop species 29 species produce 90% of our food out of >10,000 edible species Large scale farming favours soil erosion - soil is one of the biggest limitations to increasing the food production - no way to ‘remake’ soil as finding the compositions that occur naturally are hard to do Insecticides reduce insect population Stable pesticide accumulation in the food chain with long range effect in birds and mammals - estimates that 2.2 million people are at risk of pesticide usage In 2004 — carbofuran pesticide was found in several batches of noodles resulting in one death Misuse of pesticides is seen more in the developing countries. Can be transported by wind, water run off or absorbed by the soil DDT accumulates up the food chain. Was banned in the US and UK. Highly toxic in birds Fertilisers have severe effects on aquatic ecosystems

Question 51

Monoclonal farming — affects to health

Answer 51

Contamination with pesticides, herbicides and their breakdown - immune response - harsh chemicals = respiratory problems Agrochemical production risk is fairly high Bhopal incident caused at least 5,000 deaths Harsh chemical explosion

Question 52

Monoculture intensive farming - costs

Answer 52

Expensive fertiliser and pesticides Increasing as farmers become more reliable on one herbicide — glyphosate (kills all, easy) increasing number Favours insect resistance Favours spread of infection - maize infection - papa New Guinea papaya Buying F1 cultures - seed companies have control

Question 53

Organic farming - risk to environment

Answer 53

Manual weed control techniques - tilling — can be harmful to ground nesting birds - slower productivity Copper sulphate is toxic to earthworms and fish Low yield requires large cultivation areas (not favourable due to food/pop crisis) Bt toxin selective killing may alter distribution of spectrum of insects 2018 report found that organic food production is worse for the climate than conventional farming due to the large area of ground required (account for decreased in developed countries land) -use a 1/4 more land to grow peas

Question 54

Organic farming - health

Answer 54

Contamination of manure with strains of E.coli — 8 times more likely to be infected with E.coli when consume organic food - hard to regulate manure Use copper and sulphate and sulphur Contamination with pathogens and parasite — fungus produces toxins high concentrations are lethal When plants are attacked they produce toxic compounds - could be harmful to humans Allergic reactions etc

Question 55

Organic farming - cost

Answer 55

Labour intensive Variable seasonal yield depends on climate and pathogen population - could wipe out whole populations devastating effect for farmers ``` Unpredictable how much they will produce therefore more costly Niche market Higher price point Not very good for developing countries Won’t be able to feed the world Food / pop balance ```

Question 56

Transgenic cultivation - environmental risk

Answer 56

Specific insecticides may cause selective loss of certain species Specific herbicides can have an impact on insects, fungi and micro O in the soil Changes farming practices (loss of mixed farming) this could lead to farmers relying on one herbicide (happened in the case of glyphosate and roundup ready) GM tech may allow crops to be planted in natural habitats (salt marshes) these are pleases where birds go — reduce biodiversity Valuable resistance gene may be lost for family if they are transferred to wild plants - weeds resistance - increase herbicide usage - hard to control

Question 57

transgenic crops and health risks

Answer 57

Allergenic effects of recombinant proteins (Starlink) — no actual reports but people were quick to jump on it Secondary effects due to high conc of recombinant proteins — amplifying problematic compounds — bad for the consumer create an imbalance in the consumer — bt toxin FDA found that the toxin wasn’t digested straight away- similar to other allergens

Question 58

Transgenic crops - cost

Answer 58

Seed prices will depend on the competitive nature of the market Monopolisation of seed company — no control over the price Not good for farmers (especially those in developing countries)) farmers should be the beneficiaries High price = niche market Who will pay People are sceptical (past experience (Savrflavr tomatoes) Farmers aren’t even sure

Question 59

What does a TD50 value tell you?

Answer 59

Daily dose that would cause cancer in 50% or cases Uses mouse models

Question 60

What’s the pesticide TD50 value for DDT

Answer 60

0.0003%

Question 61

What’s the TD50 number for peanut butter

Answer 61

0.03%

Question 62

TD50 number for alcohol

Answer 62

4.7% Highest Much bigger than pesticides

Question 63

What’s the FDA in charge of

Answer 63

Considers the safety of food produced from biotech, crops, animals and processe a

Question 64

What does the US department of agriculture do?

Answer 64

Review application of approval of biotech seed crops and animals

Question 65

What is the environment protection agency (EPA)

Answer 65

Reviews safety of pesticidal proteins in biotech products and monitors field test data on environment (Wrong about DDT — people disagreed due to it killing malaria spreading pesticides) Atrazine level — found too high in water becoming a health concern to water animals Determined that transgenic Bt was less of a rock to monarch butterfly that conventional pesticides

Question 66

How does food labelling differ from the us to the uk

Answer 66

The US Labels everything in the product Technology may not be mention specifically but will mention the transgenic gene Uk Needs to state whether it’s gm or not gm Allows a threshold of 0.6% into the uk without being labels — feed may be gm or gm crops growing near by - Uk haven’t had gm product since the SavrFlavr tomoato purée

Question 67

What is cosupression

Answer 67

When the expression of a introduced gene and the homologous endogenous gene is suppressed