Learning Strategies Quiz

Biotechnology & Nanotechnology

• Biotechnology is the use of biological processes, organisms, or systems to manufacture products intended to improve the quality of human life
• Nanotechnology involves research and technology development at the atomic, molecular, or macro-molecular level in the length scale of approximately 1 to 100 nm range
• The interface between biotechnology and nanotechnology is nanobiotechnology

Table of Contents

• The document contains a table of contents listing various sections of the book. These sections cover definitions, history, statistics, impacts, applications, and specific branches (white, red, green, blue) of biotechnology as well as nanotechnology topics like nanomaterials and nanomedicine. It also includes sections on specific examples, case studies and concluding remarks/revision

What is biotechnology?

• Biotechnology is a science concerned with living things.
• Biotechnology applies biology to real-world problems
• It's used to change living species or biological processes to benefit human activities and to modify products or processes for a specific use
• Biotechnology includes using living systems and organisms, or any technological application that uses biological systems, to develop or make products

History of Biotechnology

• Biotechnology dates back to ancient times, used by early Egyptians for things such as bread, selective breeding of animals, and grain domestication
• Major scientific support emerged in 1953 with the discovery of DNA's structure by James Watson and Francis Crick
• Biotechnology has three stages of development: Ancient, Classical, Modern

Statistics About Biotechnology

• The largest sector of biotechnology use is health and medical (51%)
• Applications include agriculture (12%), environment (6%), and food & beverage (8%)
• The industry shows a huge impact on life with 437,400 new US jobs generated in 1999 directly by biotechnology companies

Impact of Biotechnology on Economy

• The US biotechnology industry doubled in size between 1993 and 1999
• In 1999 it was responsible for creating 437,400 jobs, 20billioninrevenuefrombiotechnologycompanies,and20 billion in revenue from biotechnology companies, and 20billioninrevenuefrombiotechnologycompanies,and27 billion in revenue from input suppliers

Applications of Biotechnology

• Biotech has various applications including healthcare, digital healthcare, telemedicine, information technology, and quantum computing, agriculture, industrial biotechnology, chemicals, molecular electronics, optics, nanotechnology, proteins, peptides, facilities, and infrastructure.

Importance of Biotechnology

• Medical advancement requires new drugs and treatments for an aging population.
• Agricultural development seeks to improve crop yields due to rising food prices.
• Scientists look for ways to preserve the environment, including clean energy alternatives.
• Environmental awareness is key, so scientists use microorganisms and enzymes to reduce harsh chemicals in sewage treatment.

Color Classification of Biotechnology Branches

• White Biotechnology: Applied to industrial processes (energy, environment, etc.), it aims to replace polluting technologies with cleaner ones, creating less waste and improving efficiency in chemical processes like food processing. Prevents food spoilage

• Red biotechnology: This branch relates to medicine and veterinary products. It creates new drugs, producing vaccines and antibiotics, and applying genetic manipulation to cure diseases like cancer.

• Green Biotechnology: Emphasizes agriculture, including creating new plant varieties, bio-pesticides, and bio-fertilizers, to improve food quality and produce crops in various climates, potentially addressing issues like antibiotic resistance.

• Blue Biotechnology: Focuses on marine resources. Uses (for example) jellyfish luminescence to map human brain neurons, aiming to help researchers understand diseases.

Well-Known Techniques of Biotechnology

• Recombinant DNA Technology (Genetic Engineering): Used to improve microbes, plants, animals through combining DNA
• Plant Tissue Culture: Used for rapid multiplication of plants or small parts of plants to overcome man-made or harmful situations involving widespread soil degradation and pests
• Transgenic (Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO)): Process of genetic improvement of plants and microorganisms, leading to improved growth and new characteristics. Examples include tomatoes with longer shelf life or vitamin A enriched rice.

Advantages of Biotechnology

• Enhanced growth possibilities due to the use of more land for growing crops, which helps farmers produce more food.
• Enhanced food values as vitamins and minerals are improved in everyday foods
• Reduced use of pesticides and increase of crop yields due to plant-resistance to diseases, pests and harsh weather conditions

Disadvantages of Biotechnology

• Can strain the land (over use of resources, draining nutrients), the more it's used
• High costs involved in producing the products.
• Negatively affects traditional farmers due to competition from the manufacture increase of crop production.
• Can reduce biodiversity due to decreasing genetic variations through breeding that concentrate on a smaller number of cultivars

Challenges of Biotechnology

• High costs - particularly for new drugs
• Concerns over bioterrorism - particularly about creating superbugs and producing toxins
• Economic issues- replaces petroleum with more renewable energy methods to produce better and more efficient bioproducts

What is Nanotechnology?

• Nanotechnology involves research and development at the atomic, molecular, or macro-molecular level.

Nanomaterials

• Natural Nanomaterials: Include fine sand, dust, and volcanic ash
• Man-made Nanomaterials: Include factory smoke and chemical reactions' byproducts
• Engineered Nanomaterials (ENMs): Materials made through manipulating matter at the nanoscale to create new materials and structures
• Examples of ENMs include carbon nanotubes, gold nanoparticles, liposomes, and quantum dots

Nanobiotechnology

• The application of nanotechnology in biological aspects.
• It uses biological materials to create functional nanosystems.
• It uses biological starting materials, biological design principles, and biological applications for medical or other uses.

Nanomedicine

• It is the application of nanotechnology in medicine.
• It uses engineered nano-devices and nano-structures to monitor, control, and improve human biological systems at the molecular level.

Areas of Development of Nanomedicine

• Surgery: Non-invasive surgical procedures using nanoscale tools for screening and diagnosing problems internally or from the outside.
• Imaging diagnostics: Nanoparticles as a next-generation, more effective contrast agents for early detection of various diseases.
• Multifunctional therapeutics & drug delivery: Targeted drug delivery systems to replace or repair cells, and minimize unwanted side effects

Revolution of Biotech in Medicine

• Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs): Devices enabling communication between the brain and external devices, aiming to restore mobility and senses for those impaired from spinal cord injuries, strokes, etc.
• Bionic Limbs: Advanced prosthetic limbs controlled via bio-technology, with enhanced feedback about hand movements
• Optogenetics: Technique for controlling neuron activity with light and genetic engineering, applied to study mental disorders

Nanorobotics

• Nanorobotics (nanobots) is an emerging technology applying technology to create tiny, nano-sized machines to interact with the human body
• Potential applications are in areas like surgery, tumor destruction, cell repair, blood clot removal, and to monitor biological conditions

Nanorobotics Examples

• The case example described involves programmed nanorobots shrinking tumors in mice to show the practical implications of nanorobotics technology

Challenges that face scientists in nanorobots' fabrication for medicine

• Movement: challenges include finding an adequate power source (smaller than a typical cell) to operate nanobots
• Body interactions: the body has defense mechanisms against intruders like harsh environments or antibodies, requiring careful evaluation to avoid toxicity and preventing unwanted immune responses

Case Study

• Edible Antibiotics: A case study where universities and companies created a consortium to produce a crop containing antibiotics directly as a way to improve crop production in developing nations.

Future of Nanotechnology

• Redesigning technologies and markets with new and developing materials and efficiencies
• Improvements in sustainable, cost effective, and efficient fuel cells and batteries

Conclusion

• Nanotechnology has the potential to powerfully enhance healthcare and build many new products . Its uses in nanomedicine for cancer treatment, diagnostic tools, etc show the real promise and possibilities. Biotechnology contributes to improving food safety, agricultural production, and environmental sustainability.

3-D Printing

• 3-D printing is an additive manufacturing process where 3-D printers create 3-D objects by laying down material layer by layer according to a digital model

Big Data

• An evolving term describing a large volume of data, both structured and unstructured

Blockchain

• A distributed, shared ledger (database) among multiple users that records transactions as blocks, verified by consensus across the network's participants.
• The key idea behind it is decentralization - there is no single control point.

Test your knowledge on effective learning strategies with this quiz. Explore common misconceptions, causes of confusion, and strategies that may not help with long-term retention of information. Understand what truly enhances comprehension while studying.