Biology 1.2 Biology in Your World

Solving Real World Problems  You can not turn on the news today without seeing a story somewhere that does not relate to biology.  In this course we will look not only at biology, the study of life and it’s processes, but also it’s relationship with the entire world.  From vanishing species and disappearing rainforests to new cures for cancer and genetic engineering and cloning, we will examine the many ways that issues connected to biology affect our world around us. The following are just some of the ways biology is playing a major role in today’s world.

Solving Real World Problems  Preserving our environment: with 6 billion people now living on Earth, the rainforests which are home to one half of the world’s species, are vanishing at a rate of one acre per second.  With the extinction of many of these species that live in this environment many potential medicines and food products may be lost. Potential cures for diseases such as cancer may be lost. Brazilian rainforest

Preserving Our Environments  One of the great achievements of today’s biologists is to demonstrate the practical benefits of preserving and not destroying our environments.

Improving the world food supply  One of the greatest achievements of modern biology has been the expansion of the world’s food supply by the genetic engineering of crops  Genetic engineering of crops has produced plant stocks that are resistant to droughts, insects, pesticides and has increased nutritional value in some cases.  In third world countries, these genetically engineered food crops have allowed people to farm where before no crops grew. These crops have made the difference allowing people to survive in harsh environments.

The Human Genome Project  Completed in 2003, private research combined with government research teams to map the sequence of the human genome. This became known as the Human Genome Project.  A genome is the complete genetic material contained in an individual. The human genome contains an astonishing 3 billion individual units.  The information biologists obtain from this understanding of the human genome will allow research to proceed in finding cures for diseases such as cancer and AIDS.

Cancer Research  Cancer is a growth defect in cells, a breakdown in the mechanism that controls cell division.  Cancer research by biologists have advanced the treatment and prevention of the many types of cancer.  Understanding of what causes cancer and how to treat it have advanced by research in biology.  Soon we hope to find a complete cure for cancer through new biological discoveries. Frequency of types of cancer

AIDS Research  AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) is a fatal disease caused by HIV, a virus that attacks and destroys the human immune system.  In the twenty plus years that AIDS has existed, biologists have made great advancements in medicines that will slow down the disease. With greater understanding from the research of biologists, a vaccine to cure AIDS may soon be on the horizon.

Emerging Diseases  New diseases continue to emerge as the world’s population continues to grow and population centers get more dense.  West Nile Virus appeared in the United States in Transmitted by mosquitoes, West Nile Virus has been known to be passed to humans in rare cases and in some cases death has resulted. Biologists study these emerging diseases and plan for vaccines to prevent outbreaks.

Emerging Diseases  Another disease that has emerged in recent years in Mad Cow Disease. First appearing in Europe, Mad Cow Disease is a fatal disease to cattle caused by eating the body parts of infected cattle.  Humans too can be infected by eating the meat from a diseased animal.  At present, no known cases of Mad Cow Disease have been reported in the United States.

Gene Therapy  Remember that genes are the basic units of heredity information. Biologists have been searching for many years for ways to introduce “healthy genes” into people who suffer from hereditary disorders.  Cystic Fibrosis is a disease caused by an inherited defect in a gene. Cystic Fibrosis is a fatal disorder in which a thick, sticky mucus clogs passages in many of the body’s organs.

Gene Therapy  In recent years, researches have explored the possibility of repairing defective genes by transferring normal copies of the gene through bioengineered viruses.  This replacement of a defective gene with a normal version of the same gene is called gene therapy.  Other serious genetic disorders, such as muscular dystrophy and hemophilia, are potential candidates for gene therapy. Biological research continues to advance our ability to reverse genetic disorders.

Characteristics of Life What do Living Things Need to Stay Alive?

What do living things need to stay alive?  In order to stay alive, living things need to get many things from their environment.  Food  Air  Water  Proper temperature

What do living things need to stay alive? Food  Food provides organisms with energy for life.  Food also provides organisms with the materials needed for growth and repair.  Animals take in their food from the outside by eating plants or other animals.  Plants make their own food through a process called photosynthesis.

What do living things need to stay alive? AIR  Air is a mixture of gases. Oxygen is one of the gases in air. Oxygen is used by most living things for respiration. During respiration oxygen breaks food apart. This produces energy to support life processes.  Land organisms get most of their oxygen from the air they breath. Organisms that live in the water take in oxygen that is dissolved in the water.  Carbon Dioxide is another gas in air. Plants need carbon dioxide to make their own food. During photosynthesis, plants take in carbon dioxide and give off oxygen.

What do living things need to stay alive? Water  All living things are made up mostly of water.  In fact, between 65% and 95% of an organism’s body may be made up of water.  The materials needed for life processes are dissolved in this water.

What do living things need to stay alive? Proper Temperature  Organisms live in many climates; some in hot and some in cold.  The temperature of the environment is important to all living things. Organisms have adapted to live in their temperature zones over time.  An organisms ability to regulate it’s body temperatures is called homeostasis.

Remember, in order to stay alive, living things need to get many things from their environment  Food  Air  Water  Proper temperature