MOTHER GOOSE SPECIAL SCIENCE SYSTEM, INC.

LMC-Compound, Tapuac Dist., Dagupan City

S.Y 2020-2021

LEARNING MODULE
Science Grade – Q1
Chapter 1: The Phenomena of Biotechnology

SCIENCE 9
Module 1: The Phenomena of Biotechnology
Learning Goal:
At the end of this module, the student shall be able to:
 Demonstrate knowledge of essential facts of the history of biotechnology and description of key
scientific events in the development of biotechnology.
 Demonstrate knowledge of the definitions and principles of ancient, classical, and modern
biotechnologies.
 Describe and begin to evaluate, aspects of current and future research and applications in biotechnology
Lesson Coverage:
This lesson has the following topics:
Title You’ll learn to..
1.1 Concepts of Biotechnology  Define biotechnology
 Describe how biological technology differs from
technology derived from physical science.

1.2 Development of Biotechnology  To understand how biotechnology works it

is important to think about the starting point or
material for biotechnology processes.

1.3 Current Uses of Biotechnology  Explain how biotechnology use in plants,

animals, medicine, and environment

Lesson 1.1 Definition of Biotechnology

At the end of the lesson, student shall be able to:
 Define biotechnology.
 Describe how biological technology differs from technology derived from physical science.

Introduction…
Biotechnology! Biotechnology! Biotechnology!!! Seems like this word has become a buzz word,
nowadays. You will hear this word from classrooms to cafeterias. It can be commonly seen in newspapers,
magazines, journals, and all sorts of media outlets, which include print media to electronic media. People are
organizing huge meetings, conferences, and workshops on biotechnology, where participants come from
different areas like science, industry, administration, social work, and so on. As time goes by and the way our
life is heading it seems as if biotechnology has become an essential component of our life. The day is not far,
when we cannot fathom our life without biotechnology. If we have to say it in simple words, it can be said that
“We wake up with biotechnology and we go to bed with biotechnology”. It is also possible that in future our
birth and death can also be determined by biotechnology.

Biotechnology: What Does it Mean?

 The term “Biotechnology” was coined in 1919 by Karl Ereky, an Hungarian engineer.
  Traditional biotechnology has been used for thousands of years to produce improved food and health
care products. Today, modern biotechnology enables us to develop improved products more safety and
rapidly than ever before.
 It is the manipulation of living organisms or parts of organisms to make products useful to human.

Examples:

a. Wine: Fermentation is the process by which grape

“must” (a fancy winemaking term for unfermented grapes
or juice) transforms into wine. During fermentation, yeast
—our microbiological friends—convert grape sugars into
alcohol. There’s a lot more than just alcohol production
going on, though.

b. Bread: fermentation refers to the chemical decomposition of

complex organic compounds into simpler substances. With bread,
this refers to the process where yeast converts sugar to carbon
dioxide and alcohol in the absence of oxygen, causing dough to
rise.

Lesson 1.2 Development of Biotechnology

Biotechnology and its Various Stages of Development

The developments of biotechnology up to its current stage, it can be divided into three different stages or
categories:
(1) Ancient Biotechnology (Pre-1800)
Most of the developments in the ancient period i.e., before the year 1800, can be termed as ‘discoveries’ or
‘development’. If we study all these developments, we can conclude that all these inventions were based on
common observations about nature, which could be put to test for the betterment of human life at that point in
time.
(2) Classical Biotechnology
The second phase of evolution and development of biotechnology can be called ‘Classical Biotechnology’.
This phase existed from 1800 to almost the middle of the twentieth century. During this period various
observations started pouring in, with scientific evidences. They were all very helpful toward solving the
puzzle/s of biotechnology. Each and every contribution from
different individuals helped to solve the puzzle and pave the path for
new discoveries.

Gregor John Mendel (1822-1884)

  an Austrian Augustinian Monk, discovers genes while working with
peas. He lays the groundwork for genetics.

Robert Brown
 had discovered nucleus in
cells.
   

Johann Friedrich Miescher

 In 1868, a Swiss biologist
reported nuclei, a
compound that consisted of
nucleic acid that he
extracted from cells i.e.,
white blood cells (WBC). 

Robert Koch
 1n 1881, German physician
Robert Koch was one of the
founders of bacteriology. He
discovered the anthrax
disease cycle and the
bacteria responsible for
tuberculosis and cholera.
  Walter Hesse, one of the co-
workers in Koch's
laboratory, discovered agar
when he asked his wife what
kept the jelly solid even at
high temperature of
summer. She told, it is agar
agar, since then nutrient
agar became the most
acceptable and useful
medium to obtain pure
microbial cultures as well as
for their identification.

Heinrich Wilhelm Gottfried Von Waldeyer-Hartz

 In 1888, a German scientist
coined the term
‘Chromosome’, which is
considered as an organized
structure of DNA and
protein present in cells or a
single piece of coiled DNA
containing many genes, regulatory elements, and other nucleotide
sequences. 

 In 1833, Edward Jenner a

British Physician vaccination
against small pox and rabies
developed.
 Alexander Fleming
 In 1879, a physician discovered
antibiotics, ‘penicillin’ the
antibacterial toxin from the
mold Penicillium notatum,
which could be used against
many infectious diseases.
Fleming wrote, “When I woke
up just after dawn on
September 28, 1928, I certainly
didn’t plan to revolutionize all
medicine by discovering the
world's first antibiotic, or
bacteria killer”. As a matter of
fact vaccines and antibiotics turned out to be the best saviors of
humanity.
(3) Modern Biotechnology

 The Second World War became a major impediment in scientific discoveries. After the end of the second
world war some, very crucial discoveries were reported, which paved the path for modern biotechnology and
to its current status. 

James Watson and Francis Crick

 In 1953, or the first
time cleared the
mysteries around the
DNA as a genetic
material, by giving a
structural model of
DNA, popularly
known as, ‘Double
Helix Model of
DNA’. 

Georges Jean Franz Kohler and César Milestein









In 1975, came up with the concept of cytoplasmic
hybridization and produced the first ever monoclonal
antibodies, which has revolutionized the diagnostics.

By this time it seemed like the world's scientific community had almost all the basic tools available to them for
their applications, along with majority of basic concepts had been elucidated, which has fast forwarded the path
for important scientific discoveries.
 Dr. Hargobind Khorana 
 was able to synthesize the DNA in test tube.
 the first artificial copy of a yeast gene.
 Khorana also investigated mutations in rhodopsin that are associated
with retinitis pigmentosa.

Kary Mullis
 In 1985, the polymerase chain reaction, which was devised by Kary
Mullis, has revolutionized DNA technology. It has had a major impact
on molecular biology, medicine, forensics, molecular paleontology,
and many related fields.

Ian Wilmut
 an Irish scientist was successful to clone an adult animal, using sheep
as model, and he named the cloned sheep as ‘Dolly’.

Craig Venter
 In 2000, was able to
sequence the human
 genome; the first publicly available genome is from JD Watson and
Craig Venter, himself. These discoveries have unlimited implications
and applications. In 2010, Craig Venter has been successful in
demonstrating that a synthetic genome could replicate autonomously.

Biotechnology has brought humanity to this level of comfort; the next question is, where will it take us?
Biotechnology has both beneficial and destructive potentials. It is, WE who should decide how to use this
technology to help humanity rather than to destroy it.

Lesson 1.3 Current Uses of Biotechnology

Biotechnology is multidisciplinary in nature, involving input from:

Cell Biology

Virology Genetics

BIOTECHNOLOGY
 Immunology
Biochemistry

Physiology Microbiology

Cell Biology
 Biotechnology uses techniques and information from cell biology to genetically modify crops to produce
alternative characteristics like cloning of plants to animals. A branch of science that deals with the study
of structure and function of the cells.
Genetics
 Used to change the genetic makeup of cells including the transfer of genes within and across species
boundaries to produce organisms.
Biochemistry
 Is the study of metabolic processes within the living system and the disorders which arises due to defect
in these processes whereas biotechnology helps to observe and modify the biological mechanisms which
helps improving lives and death.
Microbiology
 Is a branch of biology dealing with microscopic forms of life. Biotechnology use microbes for producing
products of different kinds. All the processes which take place with the help of microorganisms are
called fermentation.

Physiology
 A branch of biology that deals with the functions and activities of life or of living matter such as organs,
tissues or cells.
Immunology
 Using biotechnology in diagnosis and treating different diseases where it is term as Immunotechnology.
Virology
 A branch of biology that deals with the structures and functions of viruses. Virus are being used as
vectors or carriers that take the required material for treatment of disease to various target cells.

Biotechnology: A Basic Requirement

 As we know, the technological application of biological material is considered as biotechnology. If, we
want to understand how it works, then it is essential for us to know what is the starting point or material for
biotechnology. In general, biotechnology uses either living material or biological products to create new
products for their use in various pharmaceutical, medical, agricultural, and environmental applications, with the
ultimate goal to benefit humanity, for example, production of recombinant proteins, resistant crops, vegetables,
higher milk producing animals, and the list is endless.
Most scientists say that the future of agriculture is in biotechnology. Already, such biotechnology
marvels as genetically modified organisms have made an impact on agriculture around the world. One of the
economic advantages of biotechnology is that producers can use the technology without having to invest in
additional machinery, equipment, land, or other capital outlay.

Plant Biotechnology
One of the greatest impacts of biotechnology has come about in the area of plant agriculture. For many years
plants have been cloned using various techniques of asexual propagation. More recently, plants that have been
genetically modified by inserting or moving DNA have gained widespread use. These field crops are variously
known as transgenic, biotech, GM (Genetically modified), or GE (Genetically engineered) crops. Over 15
million producers in 25 countries planted and grew 330 million acres of biotech crops in 2009.
The most widely grown biotech crops are soybean, maize (corn), cotton, and canola.
 The biotech crops have been modified to resist insects and certain types of herbicides, increasing yields and
making production easier.
 Other biotech crops have been modified to resist viral infections (pathogen resistance)
 Produce useful proteins (plant-made products)
 Remove heavy metals from soil and water (phytoremediation)
 Tolerate harsh conditions (water use efficiency and nitrogen use efficiency)
 To have increased nutritional content.
Animal Biotechnology
Biotechnology has been used for thousands of years in animal science. Early civilizations learned to make
cheese and other food products from milk by using animal enzymes and bacteria. Later still, embryo transfer
allowed genetic improvement from the maternal side of the herd. Scientists are now on the verge of making
animal cloning a practical means of reproducing animals with superior genetics. Animal cloning is the process
of making exact genetic copy of an animal.
As with the plant industry, scientists are
able to custom design genetically modified
animals that better serve the needs of
humans.

We now have farmed salmon that reach

mature size in a fraction of the usual time
 We also have goats and cows that
produce therapeutic proteins in their
milk

Medical mice with humanlike immune

system.

Pigs that produce phytase enzyme in their

saliva, leading to low-phosphorus manure
that is more environmentally friendly.

Medicine
One of the greatest impacts of biotechnology has and
will have on our lives is in the area of medicine, where many uses are already widespread.
 Therapeutic proteins, vaccines and other medicines may be produced in genetically engineered cell
cultures through biomanufacturing, such as human insulin produced in bacteria.
  The cells of whole biotech plants and animals also may be genetically engineered to produce
pharmaceuticals (pharming)
 Personalized medicine looks at the genome of individual patients to determine molecular causes of
disease and to identify treatments that may be most effective.
 Personalized genomics is a new field that expands on traditional genetic testing. The difference is that
we now have ability to sequence the entire genome of an individual rather than looking at a few genes at
a time.
 Gene therapy has been used to treat and cure genetic disorders and illnesses that were once considered
untreatable.
 Regenerative medicine now uses stem cells to repair and replace injured and diseased tissues.
 With these biotech tools, treatments for disease can be designed to maximize benefit and minimize side
effects for patients.
Environment
Biotechnology is used in monitoring and cleaning up the environment. Plants have been developed that can
indicate whether or not an area is contaminated with pollutants. This allows for early detection of contaminants,
and remedial measures, can be taken before the problem becomes serious. One of the most exciting ways that
biotechnology can be used for the benefit of the environment is through the use of Bioremediation.
Bioremediation
 Is the use of living organisms to remedy an environmental problem. Certain microorganism feed on
toxins that are in polluted soil and water. These naturally occurring organisms actually digest the toxins
and convert the pollutants to harmless substances such as carbon dioxide.
 Also genetically engineered plants can be used to extract pollutants from the soil or water.
 Scientists are working to develop organisms that are more efficient at dissipating air, soil, and water
toxins.