Science Technology and Society Finals Reviewer PDF

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY (GEC1) FINALS REVIEWER! BIODIVERSITY AND HEALTHY SOCIETY Biodiversity - the vast variety of life forms in the earth (mycoplasma - smallest organism) Three levels of biodiversity 1. Genetic Diversity - variation in genes and genetic traits within a speci...

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY (GEC1) FINALS REVIEWER! BIODIVERSITY AND HEALTHY SOCIETY Biodiversity - the vast variety of life forms in the earth (mycoplasma - smallest organism) Three levels of biodiversity 1. Genetic Diversity - variation in genes and genetic traits within a species or population 2. Species Diversity - variety of different species within specific area 3. Ecosystem Diversity - variety of different habitats communities and ecological process Species - group of organisms which have common genetics, ecological and evolutionary characteristics. Related Terms to Biodiversity 1. Endemic Species - species that native or restricted in a particular area (ex: philippine eagle and philippine tarsier) 2. Biodiversity Hotspot - regions or area in a world with rich biodiversity 3. Ecosystem - interaction of biological communities. Four Main Types of Ecosystem Services 1. Provisioning Services - food, wood, clean water and fiber. 2. Regulating Services - benefits obtained through moderation or control of ecosystem — air pollution and water filtration. 3. Supporting Services - soil formation, habitat storage of gene pool. 4. Cultural Services - non-material benefits — aesthetic, recreation use and indigenous use. Patterns of Biodiversity 14 million species in the world, but 2 million were identified In philippines, 52,000 species were discovered and described - one of the mega diverse countries with exceptionally high levels of biodiversity Importance of Biodiversity 1. Provisioning Services a. Food Source - fruit and trees b. Herbal Medicine - leave, roots, flower products c. Forest Products - trunk trees and spines 2. Regulating and supporting services a. Mangrove forest - regulate the impact of waves b. Coral reefs - provide habitats for fishes and disease 3. Cultural services a. Orchids - used for decoration  b. Whale sharks - used for ecotourism c. Citrus horns - used in tattooing process 4. Maintenance of a rich biodiversity Biodiversity loss - refers to the depletion or reduction of biological diversity due to extinction of species - half of the world species will be extinct by the 2050. International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) - categorizes species based on their conservation status. Categories of IUCN: 1. Data Deficient - species that lack adequate informations on their abundance diversity (ex: vicente's poison frog and cherry plum) 2. Least Concern - species that have been evaluated and were not considered to be threatened (ex: Conus barbieri and Conus textile) 3. Near Threatened - likely to become endangered in the near future 4. Vulnerable - high risk of endangerment in the wild 5. Endangered - high risk of extinction in the wild 6. Critically Endangered - extremely high risk extinction in the wild 7. Extinct In The Wild - only present in captivity, in cultivation or a naturalized population 8. Extinct - already gone; no known individual remaining Causes of Biodiversity Losses: 1. Habitat Alteration And Destruction - cause the decline in philippine eagle population 2. Pollution - oil spills, air pollution (lichens - organisms usually found in trees and rocks) 3. Over Exploitation - illegal and too much logging and overfishing 4. Global Warming And Climate Change - affected many species like polar bears 5. Illegal Poaching And Wildlife Trade - species being poached illegally and sold to illegal wildlife trade 6. Disease - dying because of disease brought by changing climate 7. Introduction Of Invasive Species - (exotic species) non native species exotic species - when non native species which are well-accustomed in another ecosystem are introduced through natural and artificial means invasive species - when exotic species became harmful and dangerous to the new ecosystem Genetically Modified Organism GMO) - are plants animals or microbes whose DNA has been altered using genetic engineering techniques Process of Making GMO: 1. Identifying The Desired Traits 2. Isolating The Gene 3. Inserting The Gene 4. Growing The New Organism Uses of GMO: agriculture, health, medicine, research Xenotransplantation (heterologous transplant) - process of using animal organs, tissue and cells for human needs Glowfish - genetically modified zebra fish or aquarium fish Golden rice - genetically modified rice process of biotortified rice Risk and Downsides of GMO 1. Ecosystem Risk - GMO can become invasive species (ex: bt corn) 2. Genetic Contamination or Interbreeding - GMO may interbreed with wild types which can cause the loss of the trait in the succeeding generations 3. Adverse Effects on Health - GMO causes toxicity to humans allergic reactions and other unintended effects 4. Social Acceptance - GMO may be rendered useless if there is lack of acceptance by their target consumers 5. Economic Issues and Access - GMO might not be accessible to many 6. Animal Welfare - animal welfare issues are raised in the production of gmo 7. Pest and Antibiotic Resistance - use of pest killing GMO may lead to development of superweeds and superpests Policies And Politics On GMO's: Biosafety - refers to conditions by which potential harms can be prevented Risk assessment - process of evaluating or identifying the potential hazards and risk associated with specific activity Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention of Biological Diversity - a supplementary agreement - aims to ensure the safe transfer, handling and use of living modified organisms to protect biodiversity from potential risk National Committee on Biosafety of the Philippines - the agency in charge of implementing regulations related to evaluation assessment of biotechnology researchs, regulation of commercialization of gmos, labelling of gmos product - a system of biosafety regulations was already in place way back in 1990; the first in the world - promulgated in Executive Order No. 430 INFORMATION AGE  Information - one aspect that technologies has greatly affected Limitations of Communicating or Exchanging Informations a. distance b. time c. location the technology affected the social political and economic rule of information lead to information revolutions - it started by the invention of language writing and printing Ways of Exchanging Informations in the past: a. drum rolls b. fire signals c. hand signals d. use of pigeons e. use of flags and papyrus 1. FIRST INFORMATION REVOLUTION - aimed to address the limitations of communication; began in the mid 19th century with the invention of the telegraph, telephone and radio – lasted until 1950s. Telegraph - an early communication devices that uses electrical signals to transmit messages over long distances - develop in the 19th century - played an important role during the american civil war - also used by diplomatic offices in europe Samuel Morse - one of the most notable contributors to telegraph development Telephone (developed after the invention of telegraph) - Johann Philip Reis (develop the first telephonic device) but Alexander Graham Bell (credited for the invention of the telephone in 1876). Radio - used by military during the world wars - played a key part in the development of the broadcasting and the music industries after the war. Guglielmo Marconi (invented and patented the first radio) but his radio can only send morse codes Reginald Fessenden (discovered how to send voice on music through radio) 2. SECOND INFORMATION REVOLUTION - began in the 1950s - 1980s - further improve communication due to the invention of the television, early generation computers and satellites - made the "world smaller" Television - develop in the 1920s; inventors are: a. Farnsworth - (invented the process of image scanning) b. Zworykin - (invented the iconoscope tube and kinescope television tube) c. Dumont - (invented the receiver picture tube) Development of the early computers were due to the needs of the military. In 1939, John Vincent Atanasoff - (developed the first electronic digital computer) Alan Turing - (develop the first working digital computer which called the "Collossus" used during world war II to decode Nazi war codes Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator (ENIAC) - developed in 1946 by J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly - used vacuum tube which generated a lot of heat causing overheating or burning out (the problem) Transistors - developed by William Shockley, Walter Brattain and John Bardeen - basis for the 2nd generation computers - developed due to the problem on overheating The invention of integrated circuits lead to development of the third generation computers. Satellites - develop to transmit telephone and television signals in a global scale Sputnik 1 - first artificial satellite developed by then Soviet Union – launched in 1957 - mark the beginning of space age In 1958, Signal Communications by Orbiting Relay Equipment (SCORE) - military launched it's first satellite. Syncom III - 1st civilian telecommunication satellite launched in 1964 into orbit and develop by NASA. Intelsat "Early Bird" - first commercial communications satellite launched in 1965 and developed by Hughes Aircraft Company, (Being Satellites System - now) 3. THIRD INFORMATION REVOLUTION Main technologies of the Third Information Revolution: 1. Advanced Semiconductors Semiconductors - most significant technology that increased the ability of storing, processing and transmitting information. - from 10,000 bits of information in 1978 to 160 trillion bits of information in 2017. Microprocessors - developed in 1980; contained around 10,000 transistors: 6.9 billion microprocessors transistors develop in 2018. 2. Advanced Computers * the 4th generation computers were made by the development of computer chips * the 5th generation computers used multiple processing units, allowing the simultaneous processing of data * cable television, telephone and telegraph use copper wires or coaxial cables. 3. Fiber Optics * the invention of fiber optics address problems it is a thin glass fiber that can carry information from one source to another  Copper wires can transmit hundreds of thousands of bits of information; while fiber optics can transmit billions bits of information. 4. Cellular Technology * the development of cellular technologies solved the problem lead to the development of cellular phone — which made communication easier among individuals. Cellular phones - stores and process data; started in the 1970's. 5. Satellite Technology - helped build the global communication infrastructure. - Satellite enabled the global broadcast of events, shows, international teleconferencing, international phone calls and other forms of global connectivity. 6. Advanced Networking or Networking - enhance the connectivity and communication worldwide. Internet - the largest form of advanced network - 1.6 billion websites nationwide - made possible the development of social media, online libraries, electronic mail, video calls, e-learnings and e-commerce. GOAL : To develop a fully integrated, high - speed, high - capacity network. 7. Improve Human-Computer Interaction - one key challenge in the use of computers that are lacking. - the increase in the data processing capacity of computers led to the simplification of user interphase. 8. Digital Transmission and Digital Compression ¹. Digital transmission - was developed to further improve communication - used digital signals instead of analog signals * data signals more efficient and effective ². Digital compression - was developed to allow the use of digital signal - the lowering of the size of data or information Digital compression allowed more data storage resulted to easier and faster data transmission Positive Impacts Of Information Age 1. It enabled greater connectivity of people around the world 2. It made many aspects of day to day life more convenient 3. It created online communities 4. It made information more accessible Downsides Of Information Age 1. Many informations are false and misleading 2. It allowed the conduct of crimes and illegal activities 3. It creates a "digital divide" 4. It affected humans productivity and flourishing THE NANO WORLD Nanotechnology - the development of products or manipulations of matter at the nanoscale. Nanoparticles - (or materials at the nano scales are larger than atoms and molecules but are smaller than the size of bacteria and viruses) - the building blocks of nanotechnology - 1 to 100 nanometers (size) Nanoscience - the science of nanoparticles In the nanoscales, Quantum Effects Rule – which means properties such as fluorescence, melting point, boiling point, chemical reactivity and biotoxicity differ from usual. Technologies used to see nanoparticles – ¹.electron microscope and ².atomic force microscope Special about operating at nanoscale – unique physical, chemical and biological properties Nanoparticles Examples: a. Gold nanoparticles - different from the common gold metal in terms of physical and chemical properties b. Exosomes - nanovesicles secreted by vessels primarily for transport - contains loads of protein and other biomolecules - becomes potential biomarkers of cancer and other disease through nanotechnology c. Fe³O⁴ or Ferric Magnetic Nanoparticles - have large surface area allowing the binding of other molecule Uses and Applications of Nanotechnology a. medicine b. energy c. environment d. agriculture e. food security f. communication Examples of the Uses and Applications of Nanotechnology a. Nanosensors - nanotechnology that can be used to detect particular material or occurrence; mostly in food safety b. Bionanocomposites - nanoparticles that resulted from the combinations of biopolymers with inorganic molecules; mostly on biodegradable plastics c. Carbon Nanotubes - allotropes of carbon that have unusual properties - on the development of super capacitors have the ability to store electrical energy like batteries d. Nanocapsules - nanotechnologies made up of non-toxic polymers that can store biological or synthetic molecules; mostly in agriculture – used to deliver soil nutrients and pesticides e. Magnetic Nanoparticles - nanotechnology that can be manipulated using magnetic fields - made by combining a magnetic material like iron with a chemical material that has functionality; mostly in medicine Concerns and Issues about Nanotechnology 1. It impacts to human health is not clear 2. It may impact the environment 3. It has moral issues — accused of altering or modifying life forms 4. There is an issue in terms of equality and equity 5. There is an issue in legality, privacy and security 6. It can negatively affect human behavior GENE THERAPY Gene therapy - a medical process that uses genes to prevent a disease - the introduction, removal or change in the genetic material of an individual to prevent or treat a disease How Gene Therapy Works? a. Replacement of a mutated gene that causes the disease - a new functional and healthy gene will be inserted - viral vectors used to carry healthy gene to the site b. Gene silencing / deactivating of a mutated gene - it can be done in three ways: 1. Editing the gene 2. Changing the structure of the DNA 3. RNA Interference  c. Killing of a specific cells - usually done in cancer cells Two Types Of Gene Therapy: 1. Somatic Gene Therapy - the target cells are the somatic cells – the cells that do not produce sperm/egg. - it did not pass on the next generation 2. Germline Gene Therapy - target cells are those that produce eggs or sperm - will be passed on the next generation Challenges in Gene Therapy a. Gene Delivery and Activation b. Immune Response c. Impact to Non-target cells and other genes d. Access and Commercial Viability