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FINALS
(Science, Technology, and Society)
4. Internet – a worldwide system of in healing rituals and in the treatment of
interconnected networks that facilitate data injuries resulting from ways or accidents.
transmission among innumerable computers. Food – a basic need for human survival.
Internet has helped to spread information at During the Stone Age, humans relied only
a faster rate. on hunting and foraging for food. As
demand for food increased due to the growth
of human population, people discovered that
Lesson 2: Biodiversity some crops can be grown and cultivated and
animals were domesticated, this led to the
Biodiversity – the vast variety of life forms in the
birth of agriculture. Of the 57 global food
entire Earth, and how all living things are related to
crops, 39 need birds and insects as
each other.
pollinators. (Agrobiodiversity – a result of
The United Nations declared the year 2010 careful selection and innovative
as the International Year of Biodiversity. developments for farmers, fishers, and
herders throughout the years.)
One of the basic laws of the living is that of Energy – humans rely on energy provided
self-preservation - an organism will by ecosystems to do the necessary activities
sacrifice all it has to ensure its survival. in order to survive.
Types of Biodiversity Water Storage and Flood Control – the
earliest recorded civilizations were situated
1. Genetic Biodiversity – the variations near rivers or lakes which made their
among organisms of the same species. These livelihoods dependent of water. Biodiversity
variations are passed down from parent to in forests, or watersheds, play an important
offspring. role in securing water resources.
2. Species Diversity – the variety of species
within a region, as influenced by the Threats to Biodiversity
environmental conditions in the region. The 1. Habitat Loss and Destruction – a major
normal measure of biodiversity for these are factor is the inhabitation of humans in the
the basic units of biological characteristics. natural habitat of species, and the use of
The species are grouped together in families land for economic gains.
based on characteristics. (Taxonomy – a
hierarchical system of classifying and 2. Alterations in Ecosystem Composition –
naming organisms. This is devised by Carl sudden changes, either within species groups
Linnaeus). or within the environment, could bring to
3. Ecological Diversity – the network of change entire ecosystems.
different species in an ecosystem and the
3. Over-exploitation – over-hunting,
interaction of these species.
overfishing, or over-collecting of species
Aspects of Biodiversity quickly lead to its decline.
Health and Medicine – since 2600 BC, 4. Pollution and Contamination – biological
people have been using plants to treat systems respond slowly to changes in their
illnesses leading to the practice of herbal surrounding environment. Pollution and
medicine. Herbal medicines were also used contamination cause irreversible damage to
species.
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FINALS
(Science, Technology, and Society)
5. Global Climate Change – the increase in the 3. Cosmetic preservation – GMO plants could
Earth’s average temperature could cause resist natural discoloration, making them
loss in biodiversity loss and habitat damage. more presentable for a longer period of time.
4. Increase growth rate – GMOs have higher
yield compared to normal species.
Lesson 3: Genetically Modified Organisms
GMOs in Non-Food Crops and Microorganisms
GMO – a plant, animal, microorganism, or other
organism whose genetic makeup has been modified 1. Flower production – GMOs have modified
using recombinant DNA methods (also called gene colors and longer vase lives
splicing, gene modification, or transgenic 2. Paper production – modified traits of trees
technology. lead to higher yield of wood pulp for paper
Process of creating a GMO: production
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FINALS
(Science, Technology, and Society)
Earth as characterized by its atmospheric Greenhouse Gases – these are certain gases that
conditions. cause the trapping of solar radiation in the Earth’s
surface by blocking its natural dissipation to Space.
Examples are Carbon Dioxide and Methane.