Genetic engineering

ethics of genetically modified food (GMF). She addresses points on both sides of the argument, giving the reader a broad overview of the facts. Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are defined as plants and animals that have been altered at the genetic level for a specific purpose. That purpose could be to enhance resistance to pests and inclement weather, to allow for longer and more bountiful growing seasons, or to introduce desired nutrients. In addition to being better for the environment…

In an interview for Playboy, Ray Kurzweil, A futuristic American scientist for Google has predicted that humanity will be on the path to immortality by the year 2029, with full immortality being accomplished by the year 2045. How will we achieve such a feat? The answer has been in front of Metal Gear players for years now, nanomachines son! The futurist explained his reasoning for choosing the year 2045 as the exact date, because according to his calculations, this is the point at which…

Analyzing Osmosis in Gummy Bears Stephania Turyk and Anastasija Racic March 2016 Pre Lab Questions Why is it so important not to eat or drink anything in the lab? It is important not to eat or drink in the lab because the lab may be full of many contaminations that may enter your food or drink causing you to be very ill. Describe the direction of the flow of water when plant cells are placed in a hypertonic solution. When a plant cell is…

For as long as homo-sapiens have been on this earth finding sources of food had always been the number one priority. Humans, no matter the gender, spent most hours of each day hunting animals and foraging for edible plants and fruits. “That reliance on foraging characterized what historians and archaeologists call the Paleolithic era, or the “old stone age”.” (Jerry H. Bentley 7) During this time, and as the number of humans began to gather together forming a “community”, rules and regulations…

The biotechnology company Monsanto encapsulates all of the virtues and vices of the transnational corporation. Their connection to the cultivation and development of GMOs and pesticides has led to fervent criticism by many consumer advocates who question the biological effects that such chemicals have on the health of consumers. This criticism has led to many investigations on the inner workings and practices of Monsanto, and such investigations have brought to light corporate impropriety and…

Seward fungus: mushrooms among us Seward Alaska is a temperate rainforest, and since my return from the east coast I have noticed quite a few crazy looking mushrooms lurking in the moss. Most are very poisonous, but some are not. It’s safe to say that I am definitely not a mycologist, and am extremely under qualified to give any sort of advice to aspiring mushroom hunters; however I am authorized to say that Seward a prime fungus foraging area. Our average rainfall is about 75 inches a year,…

Fungal Keratitis Overview Keratitis is a generalized term used for the ‘Inflammation of Cornea'. Fungal Infection cause the inflammation of cornea for example Fusarium (one type of fungi) when causes Keratitis it is called 'Fusarium Keratitis'. Keratitis may be Superficial or deep, superficial Keratitis affects the superficial layers of cornea and after treatment leaves no scar while the deep Fungal Keratitis may or may not leave a scar after healing which may or may not affect vision of the…

During this experiment, mold spores were placed on water logged bread, and then put in various temperature to determine which temperature inhibits the growth of decomposer colonies the most. A trend that was that was observed in the experiment was that mold spores did not colonize in the incubator, refrigerator, and freezer. The major finding in this experiment was that mold seems to prosper in room temperature, but does the opposite in colder and warmer environments. The hypothesis, if…

Though it may sound a mundane topic, bananas have had great historic importance throughout much of the world. Bananas have been a main source of food, spanning many years across many ancient kingdoms. The origins of the banana are rather quite hard to pin down. Though scientists believe them to have originated in Southeast Asia and the South Pacific around 8,000 to 5,000 BCE, they keep discovering older bananas. One could say that these new discoveries “drive them bananas.” The banana gets…

When does an object become a patent? In some cases when a possession is not in your hands anymore it no longer belongs to you. But in other cases it can still be your possession no matter where it is. There are very odd cases where problems like this arise. In the case Monsanto V. Bowman, the company, Monsanto is suing a man because he took advantage of Monsanto’s patent wrongfully. Monsanto is a Company that produces and sells herbicide and genetically modified organisms, (GMOs) which are…