Biotechnology

8.1 – Investigate the uses and applications of biotechnology (past,

present and future), including:
Analysing the social implications and ethical uses of biotechnology, including plant and animal
examples

Selective Breeding

Plant example Animal example

5000BC corn had small cobs and few Selective breeding: Mule was bred from the
kernels. 1500AD corn was large with lots female horse and male donkey. Mules
of kernels due to selective breeding. helped transport because of their strength
and endurance.

Fermentation: Microorganisms breakdown sugar in an anaerobic environment. This process was used
to make bread, wine and cheese.

Vinegar: Acidity prevents food spoilage.

Pasteurisation (developed after Mendel and Pasteur’s discoveries of biological processes): Remove
pathogens from food.

DNA profiling/sequencing (modern biotechnologies): Study/decrease genetic/infectious diseases and

providing early detection of diseases.

Social Implications
 Benefits
Greater access to goods/services.
E.g. Recombinant DNA technology
removes and inserts genes from
viruses into humans as a vaccination.
Improve nutrition/yield of crops →
reduces mass starvation and poverty.
E.g. Golden rice (transgenic species)
was genetically modified to contain
vitamin A. Vitamin A is essential for
eyesight and a healthy immune
system.
Ethical Thoughts
Disadvantages
Patenting: Companies control/own
biotechnologies → companies can control
prices of biotechnologies and make them
unaffordable → social inequality.
Privacy: Biotechnologies reveal
personal information which can be
misused. E.g. an insurance company
does not grant life insurance for an
individual predisposed to a disease
detected through genetic screening.
Unknown health effects.
E.g. Genetically modified foods may
be toxic or change the consumer’s
DNA.
Philosophy, culture and religion – biotechnology interrupts the natural balance.

Genetic abnormalities in embryos can be identified leaving parents with the choice to terminate
pregnancy. Ending life during pregnancy is controversial.

Legislations regarding biotechnologies have ‘grey areas’ e.g. who legally has access to private
information (employers, insurers etc.).

Biotechnology has unknown health effects = bad animal welfare e.g. transgenic pigs grow very
quickly which negatively impacts their joints.

– Researching future directions of the use of

biotechnology
Medicine: Improved treatment and detection of diseases.

E.g. gene therapy involves inserting healthy genes to replace defective genes.

E.g. stem cell research involves using unspecialised cells to replace diseased tissue with
healthy tissue.

Agriculture: Sustainable food production methods to meet increasing population (increasing

demand).

– Evaluating the potential benefits for society of research

using genetic technologies
Improved medicine
Improved/early diagnosis of diseases and predisposition to diseases = early intervention and
prevention = better community health.

New vaccines.

E.g. Current research: turn off gene in muscles to stop muscular dystrophy.
E.g. Current research: nanoparticles which contain anti-cancer drugs are being delivered to
cancer cells (without damaging healthy surrounding cells).
Higher quality/quantity food = improves nutrition
Genetically modified crops have favourable traits that make them disease/pest tolerant, more
efficient and better quality.
E.g. GM crops have genes that increase vitamin levels → helps malnutrition.

– Evaluating the changes to the Earth’s biodiversity

due to genetic techniques
Genetic techniques have both decreased and conserved biodiversity in different ways.

Decrease in biodiversity
GM crops involves selecting favourable traits and breeding them →fewer crop varieties → decreases
gene pool. If environmental change occurs an entire species could be wiped out because there is
limited variation → less food for growing population.
GM crops have had unexpected effects on native plants or soil microbes → decreases native
population → loss of biodiversity.
GM animals may interbreed with native populations that have the same gene (transgene) as the GM
animal → transgene becomes more abundant and other genes die out → decreases gene pool.

Conservation of biodiversity

GM crops → increased crop productivity without destroying large amount of land → reduces land
clearing → preserves habitats → conserves biodiversity.
GM crops can reintroduce genes that have died out → increases gene pool.
Genetic techniques can predict the genes of offspring → helps select individuals for breeding
programs → helps endangered species. E.g. Northern quolls are endangered and genetic
techniques help select which individuals to breed.
Artificial insemination and pollination introduce genes into a population → increases gene pool →
increases biodiversity.