Saturday 24 May 2014

PROJECT PRESENTATION


THE PROJECT

 
 Project presentation Video
Hernestina, Òscar I Karine
 

 
 
The teachers in Institut Ausiàs March, encouraged by previous successful projects carried out by our students, decided once more, to accept the challenge of engaging a group in a new project. 
After discussing different topics, the  proposal of "Genetic Engineering" was finally chosen. 
Our students are going to investigate through films, Internet, debates, round tables, an outside contact with Ms Francesca Bray (professor of Social Anthropology in the University of Edinburgh) and different workshops about the topic "Genetic Engineering".

The results are going to be seen in this blog:
 http://geneticengineeringblog.blogspot.com.es/


Genetic engineering has been one of the major achievements in the field of biology, and the use of same for production of food is no doubt tempting.

Friday 23 May 2014

FILM "PATH TO IMMORTALITY" and a DEBATE

"Path to Immortality" or "Camino a la inmortalidad"
(Documental Cultural.es)  

'Path to immortality' is a documentary which through various scientific researches on aging that are being carried out in Spain, molecular biologists María Blasco and Manuel Serrano tell us how they have managed to create a "Triple" transgenic mouse to live longer. 

 

 
A DEBATE ABOUT THE FILM "PATH TO IMMORTALITY"
 
 
Inés vs Edgar
 
 
Inés: A few days ago, we watched a documentary in Biology class about immortality.
 
Edgar: That sounds interesting, what was it about?  

Inés: Well, you know that Genetic engineering enables scientists to create plants, animals and micro-organisms by manipulating genes in a way that does not occur naturally. The film tells us that the DNA has all the information about our body packed in pieces called genes. These genes have chromosomes and they  end with a part called telomeres.
 
Edgar:  Mm... A bit complicated but, what does this have to do with immortality?
 
Inés:  As we get older these telomeres get shorter and shorter, so scientists are trying to maintain our telomeres long to live longer.
 
Edgar:  But... how can they be sure that the experiment will work? I mean, isn't it dangerous to try it with humans?
 
Inés:  Well, they haven't tried anything with humans yet, because it can be dangerous, but they have done tests with mice.
 
Edgar: And have they got positive results?  

Inés: There is a mouse called “super p53” that has an extra p53 gene to prevent cancer. So, they did the experiment with its son, called 'Triple' that had inherited this “anti-cancer quality” from its dad and  scientists have given it a bigger quantity of 'telomerase' to make a cell live eternally. 

Edgar: Well, this is very interesting, but I think that they are doing something without sense because humans have to die, I mean, are they playing to be God?. Imagine that they achieve immortality for humans. No one would die, so at the end, we wouldn't have enough resources to feed everyone. Anyway do you think that these experiments will be compatible with humans?
 
 Inés: Well… technology evolves very fast.
 
Edgar: That's right. And finally do you think that people who live longer than 100 have something different in their cells?
  
Inés:  Yes. Those people have something different in their cells and also have a positive mind which helps them to live longer.
 
Edgar: That's an interesting point of view and we could be talking about it for hours, but I think we should stop now.

 

Thursday 22 May 2014

WHAT IS GENETIC ENGINEERING?

 


Genetic engineering (GE for short) is about scientists altering the 'recipes' for making life, the genes which you find in all living things. Doing this is very clever and seems to be very useful. Back in the 1990s, many 'Greens' campaigned against genetic engineering and still do. They predicted disaster but that hasn't happened. Nobody has died from eating genetically modified (GM) food. They were also worried about the private GE companies'  patents (ownership of the récipes) "genes" for making these new life forms. So is genetic engineering okay?


It's up to you to make up your own mind about GE.




 
1. WHAT IS GENETIC ENGINEERING?

Pol A, Raimon D, Tiziano B, Daniel C


 
A- What is Genetic engineering? 

B- Genetic engineering is about scientists altering the 'recipes' for making life, the genes which you find in all living things.  

A- The genes? What are genes? 

B- Genes are long bits of AND which code the instructions to build bodies in certain ways. Scientists know how to 'snip' genes out of one place and 'stick' them into another. 

A- So why do we do it? Does it help people? 

B- Well, scientists say they can make plants grow bigger or faster to make more for people to eat. 

A- Doing this is very clever and seems to be very useful.  

B- Well, the trouble is that we don't know if it is good for people yet, it may harm them and lots of people want to make Money out of it... 

C- Back in the 1990s, many 'Greens' campaigned against genetic engineering and still do. They predicted disaster but that hasn't happened. Nobody has died from eating GMOs 

D- They were also worried about the private Genetic Engineering companies' ownership of the recipes, genes for making these new life forms.  

A- So is genetic engineering okay?  

B- Well, it's up to you to make up your own mind about GE.

ALL TOGETHER: Yes, it is up to us to decide.
 


We are what we eat after all



2. WHY DO WE NEED TO ‘IMPROVE’ PLANTS?


Genetic modification allows scientists to help farmers by adapting plants to certain specific conditions and improving yields. For example, GM maize is better able to resist the European corn borer, a pest that can cause serious damage to maize crops and which increasingly affects European fields and cannot be addressed with conventional means.

GM technology can also help farmers respond to climate change by developing crops that can resist floods or drought.

GM can also improve consumers’ health, for example by producing better cooking oils that don’t include trans fats and/or have higher levels of beneficial Omega-3 oils.


                                                                                                                                                                       Hernestina


3. GM WORLDWIDE / GM-FREE:

a. GMOs - Global Planting per year since 1996













b. Estimate of future numbers of GM crops worldwide

c.  Which GM crops are grown around the world?



d. GM corn grown in Spain




GMO-FREE CROPS IN SPAIN





GMO-FREE AREAS IN THE EU September 2012




                                                                                                                                 Maria

4. WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE THE MOST COMMON?

Most of the GM crops grown commercially today have improved traits for herbicide tolerance (over 70%), insect-resistance, or both.

Other GM traits aim at disease resistance, drought tolerance, health or nutrition benefits, longer shelf life or more efficient industrial use.

                                                                                                                   Raimon


5. WHICH COUNTRIES ARE THE LEADERS IN GM CROP CULTIVATION?

The world’s leading producers of GM crops are the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, India and China. In the european union, In 2006, GM crops only took place in Spain on an area of nearly 60,000 hectares. In Portugal, Germany, France and the Czech Republic,  transgenic crops were primarily grown for small-scale field trials. 

                                                                                                    Paula D.


GLOBAL STATUS OF COMMERCIALIZED GM CROPS IN 2012

































6. WHY ARE FARMERS PLANTING MORE GM CROPS WORLDWIDE?


Agriculture faces serious challenges in the years ahead, from a rapidly growing global population that will put increasing strain on the world’s food supply, to climate change and its effect on water availability and arable land, to concerns about the environment and biodiversity.

Farmers use GM to modify the characteristics of the crops to be more efficiently. Plants are more resistant and they produce more quantities in a shorter time.
                                                                                                                                                                               Nizar
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                           

7. PLANTING STATISTICS FOR EU (European) COUNTRIES. 

These are the planting statistics for some European countries that planted GM crops on a total of 91,438 ha in 2010. We can see that Spain was the one which more GM crops planted, specifically of maize.
                                                                                                                                  Andrea


8. WHICH GMOS CAN BE CULTIVATED IN THE EU (Europe)?

As of March 2011, just two GM crops have been approved for cultivation in Europe.
The more widely grown of the two, MON810, is a type of maize that helps fight off pests, such as the European corn borer. The other is a potato for industrial use called Amflora, approved in 2010. Its waxy starch content is useful for making paper, for example. Several member states have issued (legally questionable) bans on cultivation of one or both of these crops approved at EU level.

 
                                                                                         Claudia

9. WHICH GMOS CAN BE IMPORTED INTO THE EU?


    As of May 2011, a total of 36 GM crops were approved for imports and processing and/or for food and feed in Europe. More than half of those crops were types of GM maize. Other crops included soybeans, rapeseed, sugarbeet and cotton.
                                                                                        Òscar          
                                                                                         
  
10. HOW ARE GMOS REGULATED IN EUROPE?



 The Eropean Union have the most stringent GMO regulations in the world. Sometimes they restrict the use or sale of GMO in the territory if they have justifiable reasons to consider a risk to human health or the environment.This involves providing freedom of choice to the farmers and consumers. All food or feed which contains greater quantity of the corresponding must be labelled. If this is unapproved by the EU they are obliged to return to the place that its provide.
                                                                                                           Berta




11. THE GLOBAL PICTURE: we face increasing demand for the world’s finite resources, population growth, actual and projected 1960 - 2050



                                                                                          Albert

12. WHY DO GM CROPS HAVE PATENTS? 

Patents are necessary to ensure that the owners are paid for their products and for all the investments they put into developing these products.
The GE companies have been driven by their desire to make big profits for their shareholders. They have been very secretive about what they are doing and, of course, protect everything they do by patenting. If they own the seeds and techniques for making them, they call the shots. It is no coincidence that the makers of herbicide-tolerant crop seeds are also the manufacturers of the herbicides. They cleverly make sure that farmers who buy their seed must also use their brand of herbicide to kill all the weeds. The companies are, first and foremost and like all companies, out to make money, not save the planet or feed the poor. They can help, of course, and some do,  but that's not their main aim.
                                                                                                                                                   Cristina


13. ARE GM CROPS SAFE FOR HUMAN HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT?

Some people think YES, because according with the results of two projects of the UE, there is no scientific evidence associated to GM with higher risks for the environment or for food and feed safety than conventional plants and organisms.

But opposers think and claim that we don't know the impact on human health. Studies on rats have shown lower birth weights, birth problems and higher death rates in animals fed on GMO foods. Pregnant women on GMO foods have shown higher amounts of a specific toxin.


4 Potential Health Risks of Eating GMO Foods 

·        Allergies
·        Antibiotic Resistance
·        Pesticide Exposure
·        Unpredictability and the Unknown


                       
                                                              Elisabet
 
14. PROS and CONS of GE.



a.   in agriculture


Pros

Cons

-Farmers can spray in order to kill weeds without killing the crops.

-Furthermore the weeds might develop their spray resistance and greater herbicide resistance has to be created.

-The virus-resistance might also create new viruses that never existed before.

-Eating certain transgenic foods has occasionally led to the development of allergies.




Golden rice is bio-fortified with beta-carotene to help combat Vitamin A deficiency.

b.   in animals



Pros

Cons

-Animals grow faster when they are genetically modified. 
-Animals require less food when they are modified. 
-Animals develop new traits because of chemicals. 
-Modifying animals with the shot can prevent the animals from developing viruses and infections.

-Some people consider it animal abuse. 

-It can possably harm the animals.

-Animals are not completely organic.

-It can possibly change genetic traits for the offspring.

-People can get sick from eating the products.



 c.   in humans



Pros

Cons

-There are many potential advantages to being able to alter the cells in our bodies genetically.

-GE technology is also used to create animals whose organs can then be injected into human beings
 -Thus if a human is in danger of having heart failure, a pig's heart can be injected into them to save their life.

 
-Manipulation and Malicious intent

-Genetic Diversity: Evolution is all about adaptability.

-The Moral Issue: Scientists could be in charge of planning the course of human existence, for good or evil.
 

                                                                                                        Karine
                                                                                            
 
15. PROCESS: How is it done? How does it work?

Genetic engineering involves extracting DNA from one organism and combining it with that of another organism, which gives new hereditary traits to the organism receiving the donor's DNA.


PROCESS:

1. Identification of the gene interest.
2. Isolation of the gene of interest.
3. Amplifying the gene to produce many copies.
4. Associating the gene with an appropriate promoter and poly A sequence and insertion into plasmids.
5. Multiplying the plasmid in bacteria and recovering the cloned construct for injection.
6. Transference of the construct into the recipient tissue, usually fertilized eggs.
7. Integration of gene into recipient genome.
8. Expression of gene in recipient genome.
9. And inheritance of gene through further generations.

                                                                                        Cristian and Jin


16. HISTORY OF GENETIC ENGINEERING (GE) 

Genetic inheritance was first discovered by Gregor Mendel in 1865 following experiments crossing peas. Danish botanist Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word "gene" in 1909 to describe the fundamental physical and functional units of heredity. In 1953, James Watson and Francis Crick suggested what is now accepted as the first correct double-helix model of DNA structure. But the genetic engineering as the direct transfer of DNA from one organism to another was first accomplished by Herbert Boyer and Stanley Cohen in 1973. Various genetic discoveries have been essential in the development of genetic engineering. Since 1976 the technology has been commercialised, with companies producing and selling genetically modified food and medicine, for example, in 1978 the human insuline gen was cloned. In 1984 the first transgenic plants were created. In1994 the first genetic modified vegetable was comercialized in California, a tomatoe. In 1997 the first mammal was cloned, a sheep called Dolly. In 1998 Doctor Richard Seed announced her intention to clone human babies. In 2001 was known precisely the assembled and complete human genome sequence.

Dolly, the first cloned mammal

The DNA double-helix structure.
                                                                                                        Daniel

17. WHAT FOOD ARE GM?
 




18. HOW DOES GE COMPARE TO TRADITIONAL BREEDING?
Genetic engineering isn't just an extension of conventional breeding; it works primarily through insertion of genetic material. The genetic engineering is more targeted and faster, bypassing the multiple generations needed by the traditional breeding. Conventional techniques are effective, so they will be used, but genetic modification allows a wider range of useful features to be incorporated into a specific crop.
Nowadays, several products have been commercialized using GE techniques.
                                                                                               Inés

19. GE APPLICATIONS:

a.  In medicine
In medicine genetic engineering has been used: insulin, hormones, vaccines and more other drugs.
Mice are the most common genetically engineered animal model. They have been used to study cancer, obesity, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, substance abuse, anxiety, aging and Parkinson disease.
 
 
b.  In research 

Genetic engineering is an important tool for natural scientists. Genes and other genetic information are transformed into bacteria for storage and modification, creating genetically modified bacteria in the process. 
Organisms are genetically engineered to discover the functions of certain genes. 


c.  In agriculture

Genetic engineering is an important tool for natural scientists. Genes and other genetic information are transformed into bacteria for storage and modification, creating genetically modified bacteria in the process. 
Organisms are genetically engineered to discover the functions of certain genes.

 
                                                                             Edgar

20. WHAT IS CLONING? and HOW IS IT DONE?

Cloning describes the processes used to create an exact genetic replica of another cell, tissue or organism. The copied material, which has the same genetic makeup as the original, is referred to as a clone. In 1996, Ian Wilmut and his colleagues at the "Roslin Institute" in Edinburgh, Scotland, cloned the first and most famous Scottish sheep named "Dolly".
There are three different types of cloning:
  • Gene cloning, which creates copies of genes or segments of DNA
  • Reproductive cloning, which creates copies of whole animals
  • Therapeutic cloning, which creates embryonic stem cells. Researchers hope to use these cells to grow healthy tissue to replace injured or diseased tissues in the human body.

HOW IS CLONING DONE?

You may have first heard of cloning when Dolly the Sheep showed up on the scene in 1997. Cloning technologies have been around for much longer than Dolly, though.
There are a couple of ways to do this:  

·        artificial embryo twinning and

·        somatic cell nuclear transfer 

                                                                                                   Judith 

How Dolly was born

In 1996, Ian Wilmut succeeded in awakening the hidden information of the nucleus of such a cell from its slumber.

Wilmut’s experiment involved three adult female sheep. He first took an udder cell from sheep A, a six-year-old of the Finn-Dorset breed. He then fused the genetic information in its nucleus with an egg cell from sheep B, from which the nucleus had been removed. Tiny electric shocks were used to stimulate this new “combination” egg cell to divide. Finally, the resultant embryo was implanted into the womb of sheep C, where it developed just like any other sheep embryo.

150 days later, Dolly became the first sheep to be born without a father. Mice have now also been cloned from an adult. Cattle have since been cloned as well.

Dolly was the first genetically identical copy of an adult.
 Cloning is not a human invention.

When we plant potato tubers of the previous year, the potatoes we later harvest are just as nutritious and tasty. This is because there was no new combination of hereditary information, with one plant being pollinated with the DNA of another. They are in fact clones of the previous year’s plant.

Strawberries are also propagated from runners which are actually clones of the parent plant, bearing fruit with the same color and taste.




Concerning people

We know that identical twins are real clones. The fertilized egg splits in two, and each of these two “daughter” cells develops separately. They are individual people with an absolutely identical set of genes. Because of this they have the same innate gifts and talents, as well as the same predisposition to particular illnesses. They have the same color hair and eyes, the same shoe size and the same features. But, in spite of this, they are two different people: each of them experiences the world in a unique way, and each is uniquely molded by his or her individual experiences and choices. Both have their own personality.

 




21. ETHICS of GE

With genetic manipulation, there will be an imbalance in nature. For example, if we were to genetically manipulate humans so that they are resistant to diseases, it could offset nature. Diseases are meant to control the population, so that the human race does not grow too much and use up all of earth’s resources.

Genetic engineering, is not natural, we have no idea of the harm that could come to us in the future. Once we start, who decides when enough it enough? It is interfering with nature.

In Plants:

·        The "foreign" genes could spread throughout the environment causing unpredicted changes which will be unstoppable once they have begun.

·        Entirely new diseases may develop in crops or wild plants.

In Animals:

·        The genetic engineering of new types of insects, fish, birds and animals has the potential of upsetting natural ecosystems. They can displace natural species and upset the balance of other species through behavior patterns that are a result of their genetic transformation. 

In Humans:

·        Genetically engineered material can enter the body through food or bacteria or viruses.

                                                                                                  Sergi

     
22. WHY ARE SOME PEOPLE AGAINST GE?

Many people believe that GMOs should not be released into the environment since there is not an adequate scientific understanding of their impact on the environment and human health. They also oppose all patents on plants, animals and humans, as well as patents on their genes. Life is not an industrial commodity.
What are the risks posed by the use of genetic engineering (GE) in agriculture?

The answers fall mostly into two categories:
·        Risks to human health, and
·        Environmental impacts.
                                                                                                  Adrian

THE REJECTION OF GMOS INCREASES IN EUROPE






23. WHAT ORGANIZATIONS ARE THERE IN SPAIN AGAINST GMOs? 

In Spain many organizations of farmers, consumers, environmentalists and others have joined mobilizations to reaffirm its rejection of GMOs and express concern for the cultivation of genetically modified in our country in terrible conditions for the environment and the rest of agriculture.

Active Spanish Organisations and institutions on GMO 

·        Amigos de la Tierra
·        COAG
·        Confederación Española de Consumidores y Usuarios (CECU)
·        Ecologistas en acción
·        Campaña Zonas Libres de Transgenicos EHNE 
·        Ecoportal.net, el directorio ecológico y natural
·        Greenpeace- Decir NO a la Ingeniería Genética
·        Plataforma Transgenics Fora!
·        Plataforma Gelega Antitransxénicos
·        Sóm Lo Que Sembrem


24. WHAT ARE GENES? 


Every plant and animal is made of cells, each of which has a nucleus. Inside every nucleus there are strings of DNA. Short sequences of DNA are called genes. These genes operate in complex networks that are finely regulated to enable the processes of living organisms to happen in the right place and at the right time.



25. WHAT CAN GENETIC ENGINEERING DO? 

Genetically modified organism, GMOs, (which are mostly plants) are mostly transgenic which means they contain genes pinched from something else like bacteria, viruses, other plants or even animals. By snipping a gene which does something useful from one organism and splicing it into another, say a crop plant, scientists can get the plant to grow bigger or faster or make more for people to eat. Or the plant could be made to be more nutritious with more protein or minerals or vitamins. Some crop plants can be made to grow in salty water or very little water - good for very dry countries. Others could be engineered to resist disease. Some could even make stuff called vaccines which could protect kids against nasty illnesses like polio or measles.

And there's more! Plants have been engineered which use up nitrogen fertilisers more effectively. This not only means that farmers need less expensive fertiliser but also helps slow climate change. Why? Because nitrogen fertilisers produce a lot of nitrous oxide gas which is 300 times more damaging than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas. Around 6 percent of warming is due to this gas. 

Some plants, legumes like peas and beans, can 'fix' the nitrogen they need directly from the air. If all plants could do that, there'd be no need for nitrogen fertilisers at all, so no nitrous oxide pollution. 
                                                                                               Mayber


26. WHAT'S WRONG WITH GENETIC ENGINEERING?

While the potential benefits of genetic engineering are considerable so are the risks. For example, the introduction of genes that may cause cancer in a common infectious organism, like virus influence, can be very dangerous.  Another problem is that, despite the controls, it is possible some unforeseen defect as a result of the genetic manipulation. In most nations, experiments with DNA are in strict control.
                                                                                                    Michelle

27. WHAT'S MONSANTO? 

Monsanto Company is a publicly traded American multinacional chemical, and agricultural biotechnology corporation headquartered in Creve Coeur, Missouri. Founded in 1901 by John Francis Queeny.

It is a leading producer of genetically engineered (GE) seed and of the herbicide glyphosate, which it markets under the Roundup Brand.

Monsanto, is dedicated to providing farmers the broadest choice of products and services that will help them produce more, conserve more and lead improved lives. They offer:


  • the highest-yielding conventional seeds on the market
  • advanced traits and technologies that enable more nutritious and durable crops
  • the safest and most effective crop protection solutions. 


But in fact, Monsanto company is not looking to benefit us. They are only digging in our wallets by patenting their GMO crops.




The more productive the farmers are, the more genetically engineered crop seeds the world has, and the more money Monsanto can make.

                                                                                                       Óscar
28. TRANSGENIC ANIMALS:


Haven't growers been grafting trees, breeding animals, and hybridizing seeds for years?

Genetic engineering is completely different from traditional breeding and carries unique risks. In traditional breeding it is possible to mate a pig with another pig to get a new variety, but is not possible to mate a pig with a potato or a mouse. Even when species that may seem to be closely related do succeed in breeding, the offspring are usually infertile, a horse, for example, can mate with a donkey, but the offspring (a mule) is sterile.


With genetic engineering, scientists can breach species barriers set up by nature. For example, they have spliced fish genes into tomatoes. The results are plants (or animals) with traits that would be virtually impossible to obtain with natural processes, such as crossbreeding or grafting. 


The benefits of these animals to human welfare can be grouped into areas: agriculture, Medicine and Industry.
A transgenic animal is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques.
 
BENEFITS IN AGRICULTURE:
-         It helps to create animals with desired traits that farmers want, so they can increase yields.
-         It achieves control the development of the animals.
-         Nowadays, scientists are trying to produce disease-resistant animals.

 
BENEFITS IN MEDICINE:
-         Transplant organs may soon come from transgenic animals.
-         Nutritional supplements and pharmaceuticals may soon be obtained from the milk of transgenic animals.
-         It helps in human gene therapy.
 
 
BENEFITS IN INDUSTRY:
-         Transgenic animals can help with the material fabrication and safety tests of chemicals.     
                                                             
 
                                                                                                            
     
                                                                                                                                       Inés
29. CONCLUSION  
The production gain and the reduced production cost have been proven many times through practical application. The implications of GM foods in economic improvement are quite impressive and encouraging. The concerns regarding the safety of these GM foods however are inconclusive in studies. So the benefits of these GMOs seem to be a welcome change to a struggling economy and defiantly deserve a chance to prove their worth. On the other hand the possible harmful effects are enough to unsettle ones nerves. But are as of now just that, possible but unproven.

 
30. GREAT SENTENCES ABOUT GMO TO BE REMEMBERED.