Ethics of Biotechnology

Ethics and Impacts of Biotechnology

Match

Match the following

• Artificial Selection

• Natural Selection

• Selective Breeding

process by which humans choose individual organisms with certain phenotypic trait values for

the process through which species adapt to their environments.

process by which humans control the breeding of organisms in order to exhibit or eliminate a par

• process by which humans choose individual organisms with certain phenotypic trait values for

• the process through which species adapt to their environments.

• process by which humans control the breeding of organisms in order to exhibit or eliminate a par

Learning Objectives

▪ Describe some of the issues that relate to biotechnology.
▪ Identify some of the pros and cons of genetically modified

food.

▪ Describe some of the ethical issues relating to

biotechnology.

Ethics of the New Biology

• What is the single most important ethical issue
related to biotechnology?

• Why does this issue need to be resolved?

A patent is a right granted by a governing body to an inventor that allows him/her to exclude others from making, selling, or using the invention for a certain amount of time.

​Patents

Patents

Genetic Ownership

Who owns the information
stored in your DNA?

How should genetic
information be used?

How should genetic
information not be used?

Open Ended

Do you think it is okay to "control" who owns or can use a gene?

Pros of GM Foods

Produce higher yields

Reduce land use

Reduce energy consumption

Lower food costs

Reduce chemical usage

After more than a decade, no
evidence of harm has been found.

Cons of GM Foods

No long-term studies

Insect resistance genes may
threaten beneficial insects.

Herbicide resistance genes
may lead to overuse of
herbicides.

Patents may prove too costly
for small farmers.

​Let's Review

Drag and Drop

Higher yield in crops is a ​

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of GMOs. While a ​

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can cause ​

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to beneficial insects if a ​

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to insect gene is ​

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in certain crops.

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

pro

con

harm

resistance

used

Safety of Transgenics

• Convinced—for or against?
• Concerned?
• Take action?

• https://www.universitylabpartners.org/blog/what-are-patents-and-how-do-they-work-in-biotechnology#:~:text=A%20patent%20is%20a%20right,a%20certain%20amount%20of%20time.

• https://youtu.be/B_WPeRIJxVo

• saavasrealize.com

​References