Biotechnology Notes
biotechnology—the use of organisms to improve our lives and the health of the Earth
types of biotechnology
1. selective breeding—occurs when humans select desirable traits in a species and choose which individuals will breed
in order to increase the likelihood of these traits within the species; began about 10,000 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. fermentation—a process in which sugar (glucose, lactose, etc.) is broken down in the absence of oxygen (O2) to form
alcohol or acid; humans have been using microorganisms for this process for about 6,000 years
ex. typically, cells go through cellular respiration where they turn glucose (C6H12O6) and oxygen (O2)
into carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O)
C6H12O6 + 6O2  6CO2 + 6H2O
but when oxygen (O2) is not present, the glucose is broken down into ethanol (C2H5OH) and
carbon dioxide instead
C6H12O6  2C2H5OH + 2CO2
this is what happens when yeast is used to make bread
3. genetic engineering—occurs when the genetic material of an organism is changed to make the organism capable of
performing specific functions that it might not necessarily be able to do naturally
examples
a. the gene for human insulin can be put into the DNA of a bacterial cell; the bacterium then produces
human insulin that can be used by diabetics since their bodies can’t produce it (in the past diabetics had
to use animal insulin, but sometimes they had negative reactions to it)
b. cloning—the process of creating an exact copy of an organism; the goal of this (in most cases) is to
produce identical copies of organs, tissues, etc. not entire organisms
c. genetically modified food—foods resulting from organisms who’s DNA has been changed in a way that
doesn’t occur in nature; currently, most are plant-based foods, but
genetically modified animals and microorganisms are likely to be
introduced into the marketplace; typically done to increase yield by
introducing resistance to plant diseases or increased tolerance to
herbicides; in the future, it could be used to make food healthier or reduce
the potential for food allergies
enzyme—a biological catalyst (speeds up chemical reactions); used in many different types of biotechnology
enzymes are useful because they:
1. make reactions easier by increasing the rate at which the products are made (productivity) and the amount of the
products that are formed (yield)
2. each enzyme only works for a specific reaction, so if the correct reactants aren’t present, the enzyme doesn’t work
3. they are sensitive to environmental factors such as temperature, 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 dairy products (lactose) so that people who are lactose
intolerant can consume them
2. plastic is usually made from petroleum and other resources that are nonrenewable (there is only a finite amount on
earth) and not biodegradable (can’t be decomposed); it’s possible to use enzymes to turn the stalks and husks of corn
into plastic using enzymes to break down the plant material into its basic parts and then rebuild it into a renewable and
biodegradable plastic
sustainability—developments that use renewable 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 (which will
increase the number of jobs and money that stay in the state), whereas we have to import and pay
for petroleum from other states and countries