MODULE 1 ANSWERS TO ACTIVITIES

(GROUP 2)

Members:
Conui, Michael Angelo
Dela Cruz, Darlene Grace
Delarmente, Ejcurl
De Los Reyes, Dane
Enorio, Kyle
Fuentes, Christene Sachea Caina
Galbizo, Jujielyn

Activity 1.1

Task: Watch five creation myths from the playlist. Take note of the actors/ characters in the
myth and correlate this with the local geography and ecology of the place where the myths
originated. Fill out the table.

Cultural Place Creation Myth Elements How does the myth teach LEK,
Community of sustainability, and resilience?
Origin

Ancient Greece • Gaia (Earth In relating the Greek story of creation

Greeks Goddess) myths to teach LEK, sustainability, and
• Uranus (Sky) resilience, the different races and the
• Terrible monsters: beginning of the story that were presented
o Creatures can be made as examples.
with 100
arms The marriage between Gaia (Earth) and
o Cyclops Uranus (Sky) might suggest that ancient
• Kronos (King of Greeks believed life was born between the
the Sky after interaction between the two elements.
killing Uranus) Given that the sky provides rain, and the
• Rhea (Earth rain helps organisms in the earth below to
Goddess, married survive, it is easy to see how the
to Kronos) interaction between the two brings life.
• Golden Age (1st
race of men made The first race made were people made of
of gold) gold which resulted in the Golden Age. In
• Zeus (most this age, men did not have to work, suffer
powerful god) and die. But due to the war, the men from
• Island of Crete the Golden Age did not survive. This
• Olympus shows that even though they were
• Hera technically made perfectly, this does not
equate to resiliency.
• Silver Age (2nd
race of men made The second race made were people made
of silver) of silver which resulted in the Silver Age.
• Bronze Age (3rd In this age, men were foolish and had no
race of men made respect for the gods. This age did not last
of bronze) long because it angered Zeus so he
• Heroic Age (race banished them to the underworld. This
of heroes) shows that having nothing to contribute to
• Blessed Isles a society might not help to promote
• Iron age (race of resiliency and sustainability.
men of today)
The third race made were people made of
bronze which resulted in the Bronze Age.
In this age, men were aggressive and
warlike. They destroy one another which
results in Zeus banishing them to the
underworld. This shows that even though
the bronze men were made to be resilient,
it would not promote sustainability.
Therefore, Zeus cast them away.

The fourth race made were heroes which

resulted in the Heroic Age. In this age,
many great men and women were born.
When the people from the Heroic Age
passed away this gave rise to men of
today. The people from this age were
called the Iron race. They said that this age
is the hardest of all because all their lives
they have to endure suffering and at some
point would die. However, the iron race
can be resilient. They can withstand and
recover any challenges they face. This
race was able to survive
because resiliency and sustainability go
hand in hand.
Activity 1.2

Task: Discuss the following classical experiments in Biology how these can possibly be
described as Reductionists.

The reductionist method is an approach that aims to analyze a complex phenomenon

through understanding and explaining its parts, properties, or sub-concepts. To explain further, the
following is a classical experiment that utilizes this method to explain a scientific query:

PASTEUR’S EXPERIMENT
 Pasteur’s experiment tested the spontaneous generation theory, a theory stating that living
organisms can arise from nonliving organisms. This experiment was led there because there has
been an observation that bacteria grow on broth; however, if the broth is warmed in a sealed
container, bacteria do not grow in it. The spontaneous generation theory could explain this
situation as bacteria simply arising spontaneously from that broth. Yet Pasteur also observed that
bacteria can also be found in particles in the air. Thus, to test the SGT, Pasteur breaks the situation
down. He did an experiment on different flasks with broth in them—some with intact curved necks,
causing the bacteria to be trapped, and some without the curved necks, exposing the broth directly
to the air. After several days, he observed that the flask with a curved neck never changed color or
became cloudy because dust never reached its broth, while the others turned cloudy and discolored
from being directly exposed. So, from this experiment, it was concluded that microbes do not
spontaneously generate.

Pasteur started with a hypothesis and tested that hypothesis with a controlled experiment
to understand how a particular commodity works. A more extensive system is broken down into
simpler components to grasp a concept fully, particularly the theory of spontaneous generation,
which Pasteur tried to disprove—this reductionist approach to explaining life and cellular biology
supports the existing view that all living things are made of cells. Through the experiment, he
concluded that the growth of bacteria from the surroundings could cause changes when it
contaminates a sample and not because it arises itself or from nonliving materials, like how the
straight-neck flask turned cloudy and discolored. He then associated this idea with how humans
can be infected with certain diseases when we expose ourselves to pathogens, thus establishing the
idea that microorganisms cause diseases. In addition, his experiment offered ideas that supported
other theories, including the germ theory of disease.
ACTIVITY 1.3

Task: Explain further the following examples of IK assigned to the group that have been
verified by scientific studies.

Topic 1: Medicinal Plants

One cannot help but notice the extraordinary achievements, contributions, and discoveries
made by scientists all over the world in the discoveries of medicinal plants. An evidence of the
significant impact these contributions have on health conditions around the world is the 2015
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Professor Youyou Tu, a renowned scientist, was bestowed
with this widely-celebrated award to give recognition to her crucial contribution in the discovery
of artemisinin, an important breakthrough in the fight against malaria. Artemisinin, obtained from
the sweet wormwood plant, saved a lot of lives especially in areas where malaria is prevalent.

Albeit being frequently controversial due to only recognizing the work of one person, this
decision by the awarding committee sheds light on the essence of this discovery in the world of
medicine.

In the same way, the Philippines has also recognized the potential of therapeutic plants.
Among the herbal medicines of various health benefits as approved by the Department of Health
(DOH) are Lagundi, Ulasimang-bato, Guava, Bawang, Yerba Buena, Sambong, Akapulko, Niyog-
Niyogan, Tsaang Gubat, and Ampalaya. These therapeutic plants reflect the country’s dedication
to providing affordable healthcare to its people.

The Nobel Prize bestowed upon Professor Youyou Tu and the herbal medicines approved
by the DOH are the significant turning points in the history of medicine. They are prime examples
of the fusion of science in the contemporary world and the indigenous knowledge which
consequently give millions of people worldwide a new chance in life to heal and hope.

Based on the articles of approved medicinal plants, the approval of these plants signifies
that the human knowledge in the field of medicine has been growing with the help of rigorous
scientific discoveries and experimentation of the properties of these plants. It contributes to the
advancement of our understanding of personalized medicine where people who have little to no
access to health facilities in their communities or those that are living in Geographically Isolated
and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDA) can aid in curing ailments and sickness or alleviating symptoms
from the benefits of these medicinal plants. These approved medicinal plants also play a vital role
in marginalized communities because with this approval, these communities and families have
easier access to medicines targeting particular diseases, especially when these plants are available
in their surroundings. It saves them the cost of buying expensive medicines and going to health
facilities which are far away from their areas. This contribution of the approval of traditional
medicine brought by these medicinal plants has helped a lot of families who suffer from getting
the best treatment for specific illnesses due to lack of finances.

Aside from the expansion of knowledge due to the discovery of the property and approval
of these medicinal plants, the said approval also adds information and more explorations to the
field of chemistry, specifically in the areas of drug discovery and innovation or creation. These
medicinal plants have long been used by many generations even before when literature or any form
of keeping records such as writing never existed. This goes to show that the approval of these
conventional medicines validates the years-long traditional knowledge attached or associated with
them. This also preserves the culture and the value of the various biological interactions or benefits
made and done by our ancestors with the natural environment. The indigenous knowledge also
sheds light to rarer discoveries that could help solve problems not typically addressed by the
current system of pharmaceuticals we have in the world, with more scientific explorations on the
properties of these plants. These discoveries can serve as an avenue to intensifying facts on
ecological understanding and other biological processes involving the living systems.

Topic 2: Sustainable Resource Management

Different groups of indigenous people have varying practices on resource conservation,

management, and sustainability, but these particular and unique practices of the groups give
emphasis to the principles they conformed and believed in that are embedded in their conventional
forest practices. The experiences, as detailed and narrated in the paper provided for this topic,
showed how these indigenous people have vast and critical knowledge on how to preserve, use,
and properly improve the status and condition of their environment with their distinct traditions
and practices relating to resource management, and the article also provided enough evidence from
experiences of these groups or tribes that the people have a wider and deeper understanding of the
things around them, specifically the forest and the environment, with a firm commitment and
conviction to keeping all the resources adequate or sustainable for future generations.

For instance, these indigenous people established and used selective harvesting methods in
gathering products from the forest or environment, such as timber, medicinal plants, and many
more. This is to prevent the rapid depletion of the resources around them and to target a specific
species or kind of resource for reproduction and regeneration. With these harvesting practices,
groups or tribes in those areas are guaranteed that the resources around them would be available
in the long run. This is also the case during hunting season, where indigenous communities reserve
areas within their boundaries as “no hunting” zones to preserve endangered species and protect
culturally significant organisms.

Practices have rooted from the belief of these communities that not all work should be done
by the gods they believed in, and that they should also give their fair share of keeping these
resources properly handled and taken care of. With these practices, they assert harmony and peace
within their territories because people learn to value what they were provided with through systems
of customary rules and regulatory structures that pertain to use of resources. With these practices
also, the communities and the people in these communities are highly adaptive of various changes
in the environment, so they were able to improvise and make informed decisions with the help of
every member sharing their say and opinion as to how to cope with challenges such as changes in
weather or shifting patterns and natural disasters.
References

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Germ theory | Definition, Development, & Facts. (2023, August 4). Britannica. Retrieved

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