within the last decade a solution to all of our problems has appeared: genetic engineering. Genetic engineering is essentially the manipulation of an organism’s DNA, which is what makes up its genetic structure, to repair damaged parts or introduce new genes to produce beneficial effects such as attaining higher crop yield or curing diseases. Although genetic engineering seems like the ultimate solution, there are some criticisms that deal with the possibly unknown effects. Even though genetic…
What is a Virus? Virus - A virus is a tiny organism that can reproduce inside the cells of an organism. Most viruses are microscopic they are only observable through an optical microscope. Viruses can infect all types of organisms ranging from plant to animals as well as bacteria and other archaea. There are around 5000 different types of viruses described at the current time, however, it is thought that there are millions different viruses of distinct types. Viruses are seen in every…
A designer baby is a term for a human being who before birth underwent a biological screening process in a lab to determine that its chromosomes did not contain any genetic abnormalities and/or to evaluate for desirable biological phenotypes (BBC – Horizon, 2005). Moreover, the process is initiated when the mother undergoes fertility treatment to increase the eggs available for extraction which are then fertilized by the sperm of the father or elected suitor (BBC – Horizon, 2005). Subsequently,…
Next, the examples used by Jerry Coyne follows Darwin’s theory of the six points of evolution, gives the scientific method to prove the origins of all living organisms, and I will explain speciation, common ancestry, and natural selection. As has been mentioned, speciation is the third point in the evolution theory, and is used to explain the vast diversity of species in the world. To resume, speciation is when one common ancestor splits into separate versions of the one common ancestor. The…
Like in the science fiction film Gattaca the genes of your offspring can be of your choosing and remove problematic defects. Genetic screening can already show differences, anomalies, or mutations. With Gen line modification all of this can go way. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention…
In the science field, a lot of the time research can be portrayed differently in popular press articles, for example newspaper or magazine articles, compared to the scientific article published from a peer-reviewed journal. Sometimes newspaper or magazine articles can forget or exaggerate certain results. This is why it is always important to read not only the popular press literature but also to read the material from which the popular press got its information. The journal article I chose to…
Before we can talk about what a polymer is, we need to know about ATOMS and ELEMENTS and MOLECULES. To learn about atoms and elements and molecules, click here. Paul Lemur This is PAUL LEMUR. He's a lemur named Paul. Polymers are made up of many many molecules all strung together to form really long chains (and sometimes more complicated structures, too). What makes polymers so fun is that how they act depends on what kinds of molecules they're made up of and how they're put together. The…
Medicine, The exact cause of autoimmune disorders is unknown. One theory is that some microorganisms (such as bacteria or viruses) or drugs may trigger changes that confuse the immune system. This may happen more often in people who have genes that make them more prone to autoimmune disorders.” (“Autoimmune Disorders. U.S. National Library of Medicine.) There are a couple theories that is developed by experts…
Monascus Pigment: A Versatile Fungal Pigment Introduction Pigments is defined as a organic compounds that give a characteristic color to plant or animal tissues and is involved in critical processes. Chlorophyll in plant (photosynthesis) and hemoglobin present in Red blood cells (oxygen transportation) are examples of pigment. Variety of color pigments produced by organisms is also known as biological pigment or bichromes. Pigments from plants and animals have been obtaining since long…
Mitochondria was first discovered in 1856 by Swiss anatomist Van Kölliker. Dr. Kölliker while he was conducting a study on muscle tissue (Giezen, Page 1). He found these “sacrosomes” which would later become known as mitochondria. When scientist first started discovering mitochondria they were extremely fascinated with all of the various structures of the mitochondria (Giezen, Page 1). Early scientist posted numerous theories of the origin of mitochondria. One of these theories was that…