Biotechnology Notes
biotechnology—the use of _______________ to improve _____________________ and __________________________
types of biotechnology
1. ______________________________—occurs when humans select _________________________ in a species and
choose which individuals will breed in order to __________________________________________________
within the species; began about ___________ years ago; all crops and domesticated animals today are the result
of selective breeding
ex. to produce bigger, easier to harvest grains or animals that are more docile and easier to handle
2. ______________________________—a process in which _____________ (glucose, lactose, etc.) is broken down in
the ______________ of _____________________ to form ________________________________________;
humans have been using microorganisms for this process for about ___________ years
ex. typically, cells go through _______________________________ where they turn ___________________
and _________________ into _______________________ and ____________________
chemical equation for cellular respiration:
but when __________________________ is not present, the __________________ is broken down into
___________________________ and __________________________ instead
chemical equation for the fermentation of glucose into ethanol:
this is what happens when yeast is used to make ____________________
3. ______________________________—occurs when the _______________________________ of an organism is
_________________ to make the organism capable of performing specific functions that it _______________
_______________________________________________________________
examples
a. the gene for _______________________ can be put into the DNA of a __________________________;
the bacterium then produces human insulin that can be used by __________________ since their bodies
can’t produce it (in the past diabetics had to use _________________________, but sometimes they had
negative reactions to it)
b. ___________________—the process of creating ________________________ of an organism; the goal
of this (in most cases) is to produce identical copies of _________________________________, not
entire organisms
c. _____________________________________________—foods resulting from organisms who’s DNA
has been changed in a way that _______________________________________; currently, most are
_______________________ foods, but genetically modified animals and microorganisms are likely
to be introduced into the marketplace; typically done to increase yield by introducing ____________
_____________________ or increased _____________________________________ ; in the future,
it could be used to make ______________________ or reduce the ___________________________
enzyme—_____________________________________________ (speeds up chemical reactions); used in many different
types of biotechnology
enzymes are useful because:
1. they make reactions easier by increasing the rate at which the products are made (_______________________) and the
amount of the products that are formed (________________)
2. each enzyme only works for a _____________________________, so if the correct ________________ aren’t present,
the enzyme doesn’t work
3. they are sensitive to ____________________ factors such as _________________, pH, and concentration of reactants
4. aren’t used up in the reaction, so they can be used over and over again
examples of ways that enzymes are used in biotechnology
1. the enzyme lactase can be used to remove the sugar found in ___________________________ (lactose) so that people
who are _________________________ can consume them
2. plastic is usually made from ________________ and other resources that are _____________________ (there is only a
finite amount on earth) and __________________________ (can’t be decomposed); it’s possible to use enzymes to
turn the ________________________________________ into plastic using enzymes to break down the plant material
into its basic parts and then rebuild it into a renewable and biodegradable plastic
____________________________—developments that use ___________________ natural resources instead of
nonrenewable ones (we can always grow more corn, but we only have a finite amount of petroleum; this
is extremely important to NC because we have plenty of corn and the resources to plant and produce more
here (_______________________________________________________________________________),
whereas we have to ___________ and _______________ petroleum from other ____________________