Final Thoughts On Biotechnology

Well the trimester of Biotechnology has finally come to an end. It has been quite a trimester, and though I am still not an expert in the field of Biotechnology I have learned a great deal about the structure of DNA, the ways to extract DNA, the way DNA is used in forensic science, and the ways DNA can be transformed through splicing. I know that this knowledge will greatly aid me in my science class next trimester, forensic science.

The method of learning this trimester, where we learned through our experiences instead of lots of lectures from the teacher, threw me off guard at first. However, i believe I learned a lot about Biotech because of this teaching method.

The lack of tests were interesting, and I was a bit scared not knowing what my grade was at any particular time. Though grades were not the most important part of this course, it would be nice to know how I was doing throughout.

With the beginning of this next trimester, the curriculum will undoubtably be more structure, but I will continue to make attempts to learn through my own volition instead of a teacher’s proddings. This class has certainly sparked my interest in Biotechnology, and it will clearly have a large impact on the future. With the potential of Biotechnology in splicing genes and modifying DNA, there will be heated political debate relating to the subject. I will most definitely follow this debate, and my Biotech education will aid me in understanding not only the topics of debate but through the discussions on WebCT the various viewpoints and opinions of people involved.

Whatever field I end up pursuing, I know this knowledge will benefit me. Even if I do not pursue a science major, the self-learning process will allow me to learn without the influence of constant supervision, make me a better learner in college and my adult life where supervision is much less.

And a little interesting food for thought:

http://gukurup.wordpress.com/2008/02/08/dna-found-to-have-impossible-telepathic-properties/

metacognition (google it :P)

So for this week’s blog, I’ve been given the monumental task of reflecting on my learning experience over the span of this class. So far I’ve worked on this class like any other- I’ve tried to work and study every night…but this class is unlike any I’ve ever been in before (and not to mention a subject matter I was previously unfamiliar with). I think that I have slowly but surely adapted to this style of learning through some self-teaching and some classwork. Through this process of learning I’ve learned a lot about myself and the material, but even more importantly I feel like I truly own the material. Through my own hard work and thought I have learned quite a bit about biotechnology.

Of course this is a double-edged sword: if I want to engage in the material to a greater degree it has to be MY CHOICE…no one will make me, but if I want to get someting out of this course it has to be my own initiative. This means getting involved more in the discussions, webct, here, and the class wiki page. Since I truly am interested in the material (since it is going to be having a huge effect on the world in the 21st century), I have to make that extra effort and take the extra time to dive into the material. I’ve done a lot of work on the wiki, true, but that is just one part- posting material that I already know does not give me much space to learn.

The depth to which I am engaging in the material has been satisfying, but I want to dive into the deep end in biotech- and the only way that will happen is if I make that extra effort.

Well as weird as it has been to write about myself and how I’ve learned, that’s part of the process too. Feel free to give me some comments 🙂

Where Biotech Gets Interesting: Crime Scenes, DNA Splicing, and more

Well, it seems that the most interesting parts of Biotechnology have been saved for the tail end of the trimester. Currently we’re working on 2 labs: one dealing with DNA Transformation and one examining crime scene DNA and finding a match with other DNA samples amplified through PCR. DNA Transfer is when foreign material is incorporated into the genetic structure of a cell. This is the method used to change the traits of various materials, like crops, to make them more productive or more resistant to external forces. This is a good description of DNA transfer:

PCR, or Polymerase Chain Reaction, is a method used to amplify DNA through reaction with an enzyme. When the reaction occurs, the DNA becomes structure for replication, and the chain reaction occurs when the DNA replicates at an exponential rate. This is due to a reaction with DNA polymerase, dNTPs, primers, and buffer solutions. This method is used to replicate a strand of DNA in order to make a certain strand of DNA have a greater presence so it can be used for testing. This can be helpful in determining crime scene data, paternal testing, etc.

A great educational video on PCR:

After using PCR to amplify the DNA, we placed the DNA samples in an electrophoresis and with the aid of enzymes found a match between the crime scene data and one of the samples. This process is used widely in crime labs to prove guilt or innocence, and it is incredible how accurate the readings can be.

Biotech ethics

Our labs give me the opportunity to experience the practice of cutting and examining DNA, much like biotechnologists do in the process of splicing DNA, but the ethical side of such a process was still mysterious to me. I knew that religion could play a factor in concerns, and possibly enviornmental issues too, but to what degree do these concerns hinder biotech work? I decided to do a little snooping to find out, and I learned a few things- especially about a man named Norman Borlaug

I also found this interesting blog about biologic rules

http://www.biotechblog.com/2008/09/22/when-will-the-us-develop-concise-generic-biologic-rules/

Take a look, and feel free to comment if you want to spark up some discussion

Biotech- DNA Extraction and other stuff

So for this past week we’ve started another lab, the purpose of which is to teach us the art of extracting and cutting DNA- a vital part of the process of splicing DNA for various purposes. This of course is one of the great purposes of biotechnology- to give one organism traits specific to another.

We are using agarose gels to find out the makeup of various samples of DNA.

We learned that certain enzymes can cut specific pieces of DNA in specific ways, leaving DNA strands with sticky or blunt ends. Through digesting DNA (which was the enzyme’s primary function- to protect through digesting incoming viruses), specific traits can be isolated, and this DNA can be spliced to other pieces. I am unsure what developments will be made with this process in the near future, but it will inevitably spark heated ethical debate.

On my personal note for the day, I attended the Longhorn Open, a very prestigious fencing tournament at UT, all last weekend. I did well too, and I’m looking forward to some more tournaments in the next couple of weeks.

A few weeks in

After learning about early geneticists like Mendel, and watching the movie The Race for the Double Helix to find out more about the discovery of the first model DNA by Watson and Crick, we started playing around with how DNA actually fits together. We learned that it contains an outer layer comprised of phosphates and sugars, and then inside are bases that connect to form the famous double helix. Then, in our first lab, we played with the structure of DNA, as well as the replication of DNA. A great explanation of this process is in the video below. We have also been talking in depth about the ethical implications of gene therapy, and though we have had some heated discussion it is difficult to know exactly when biotechnology has gone “too far.” What if a given process could save lives, but could also be misused? We are grappling with these tough questions in class and on WebCT.

On a personal note, I braved Hurricane Ike last weekend to travel to a fencing tournament in Waco, and got nationally ranked as an “E.” It’s the lowest rank, but everyone’s gotta start somewhere and I know now that I’ve really gotten into the tournament scene I will start getting ranks quicker. “> Here’s the tournament (and scroll down to “saber”)

I’m working on a few articles for our school newspaper as well, for which I’m the Online and Senior Editor. My personal favorite at the moment is a review I’m working on for the new Metallica CD Death Magnetic . Sine I love old and new rock, I’m really exited about getting the chance to write a review on such a long-awaited CD. Also I write the Staff Editorial every issue, and this editorial will be focused on how every vote matters in the upcoming presidential race, another topic that’s near and dear to me.

I randomly thought of Heisenberg uncertainty principle in biotech class, where it is impossible to determine the exact location of an orbiting electron because by the time someone views it the electron has already changed position by simply observing it. I began to wonder, especially in a complicated science like biotechnology where so much is unknown, if maybe there are questions that simply cannot be answered in biotech. Certain moral questions of course are a matter of opinion, but does every question have a definite answer when it comes to biotechnology?

Why I want to learn about Biotech

Hey everyone. This is Stephen Hayes, a senior beginning a 12-week course on biotechnology. Before this class, I had little to no understanding of biotech other than what I had read in books, and through this class I hope to gain a better understanding of biotechnology and its future implications.

Through this blog I’m trying to keep a healthy balance of biotechnology (specifically the class) and my life outside of the science lab.

Other than school (which seems to be the main interest at the moment), I love running, fencing, rowing, paintballing, bowling, etc. and trying to find other things to do in Dallas (which can be hard when you get tired of movies). I’m really interested in American politics, and have devoted several summers to expanding my knowledge of the political process through internships and jobs. I’ve traveled a lot this past summer, from working in Washington DC to a camp in UPenn to a college visit/vacation in California. With summer finally over I’m finally beginning to realize that I won’t be able to have as much time to myself, but I’ll make the most of it. I tend to be a laid-back Texas boy, but if I put my mind to something I get it done without question or complaint.

Throughout my high school career, I’ve learned about chemistry, biology, and physics, and though this information is helpful for any profession, I realized that in my senior year I wanted to learn about science and how it applies to the world today. Biotechnology is a hot topic, and will undoubtably have an effect on the future of cloning, agriculture, medicine, and even warfare.

So far I have gained a general understanding of what biotechnology is and how it it already being used in various fields. We have also researched the age of the earth and the universe. Through radioactive dating in rocks, scientists believe the earth to be about 4.5 billion years old, and the universe (through measuring light from distant stars) to be about 15-20 billion years old. I’m still not quite sure how the age of the earth is relevent to biotechnology, but as biotechnology relates directly to the manipulation of cells and DNA, I assume that the earth’s age is an important factor.

This is my first post, and throughout this trimester I will be posting on this blog to help myself understand this complex subject, and help readers get to know me and how I am progressing in this field of study. If anyone wants to talk science just post it here