Biology 1.2: Report on a Biological Issue
Possible topics for your presentation
You will choose from one of the following seven topics to research and present. These will be selected during class. You will be able to work with others who have the same topic while doing research, however, each student will be taking a different viewpoint or specific area of these larger topics, AND give their own presentation. Each student will also have to show evidence of their own individual research. These topics will be introduced further during class.
If you want to research a different topic, it must meet the following requirements:
-it must be an issue with two different sides
-it must be have a biological component
-you must get it approved by your teacher
If you want to research a different topic, it must meet the following requirements:
-it must be an issue with two different sides
-it must be have a biological component
-you must get it approved by your teacher
Genetically Modified Food and Organisms
The number of countries growing genetically modified crops has increased in recent years causing much debate over the safety of these products. Supporters claim it will feed the world and promote better health and ecological welfare, while others believe the food contains risks to human health.
Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) include crops, vegetables and fruit that have been created using genetic engineering methods. Scientists combine desirable genes from various species to create new genetically-altered crosses with enhanced nutritional, productive and ecological value. This differs from traditional breeding in that genetic transference between unrelated species does not occur biologically in nature. Source: http://www.brighthub.com/science/genetics/articles/23358.aspx |
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Vaccination
The MMR vaccine controversy started with the 1998 publication of a fraudulent research paper in the medical journal The Lancet that lent support to the later discredited claim that colitis and autism spectrum disorders are linked to the combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. The media have been criticized for their naïve reporting and for lending undue credibility to the architect of the fraud, Andrew Wakefield.
The claims in Wakefield's 1998 The Lancet article were widely reported; vaccination rates in the UK and Ireland dropped sharply,which was followed by significantly increased incidence of measles and mumps, resulting in deaths and severe and permanent injuries. Physicians, medical journals, and editors have described Wakefield's actions as fraudulent and tied them to epidemics and deaths, and a 2011 journal article described the vaccine–autism connection as "perhaps the most damaging medical hoax of the last 100 years". Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MMR_vaccine_controversy |
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Embryonic Stem Cell Research
In November of 1998, scientists reported that they had successfully isolated and cultured human embryonic stem cells—a feat which had eluded researchers for almost two decades. This announcement kicked off an intense and unrelenting debate between those who approve of embryonic stem cell research and those who are opposed to it.
Some of the most prominent advocates of the research are scientists and patients who believe that embryonic stem cell research will lead to the development of treatments and cures for some of humanity’s most pernicious afflictions (such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, heart disease, and diabetes). Among the most vocal opponents of the research are those who share the desire to heal, but who object to the pursuit of healing via unethical means. [Their] view is that because human embryonic stem cell research necessitates the destruction of human embryos, such research is unethical—regardless of its alleged benefits. Source: https://cbhd.org/stem-cell-research/overview |
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Medical Marijuana
The term "medical marijuana" refers to the use, possession, and/or cultivation of marijuana for medical purposes. People who are terminally ill, or suffer from painful or long-term symptoms associated with certain diseases, such as epilepsy, AIDS, glaucoma, and cancer, often request medical marijuana as a form of treatment and/or pain relief.
As a general principle, medical marijuana, also known as medicinal cannabis, is no different than standard marijuana. Under the federal Controlled Substances Act, marijuana is classified as a "Schedule I drug", meaning it: 1) has the potential for abuse, 2) has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the U.S., and 3) has a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug under medical supervision. As such, there is a growing debate concerning the personal medical use of marijuana and its legality. On one side of the issue, some politicians and law enforcement officials would like to combat illegal drug use of marijuana and control some of its affects, such as "wide open sale of marijuana under the guise of medical purpose". On the other side, some health advocates and other drug legalization groups would like to legalize the medical use of marijuana, believing that the drug is a valuable aid in the treatment of a wide range of medical conditions. - Source: http://criminal.findlaw.com/criminal-charges/medical-marijuana-an-overview.html#sthash.XJ75MNRM.dpuf |
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Marlborough Sound Salmon Fisheries
In 1969 a group of fishermen towed the first mussel barge into the Marlborough Sounds and anchored it in the Kenepuru. In the past 40-odd years since, the New Zealand aquaculture industry has evolved from a group of innovative pioneers to a professional, specialised and premium food production sector focused on environmental sustainability, food safety and value-added marketing.
In 2011 the industry employed over 3000 Kiwis and generated over $400 million of revenue. Moving forward, the sector offers tremendous sustainable growth potential for New Zealand to create more regional jobs, support associated industries and inject much needed export earnings into local communities and the economy Source: http://www.aquaculture.org.nz/industry/overview/ The Marlborough Sounds is relatively small as a coastal area of 750 square kilometre of water. If the additional farms New Zealand King Salmon wants go ahead, the total nitrogen pollution of the company's farms will be equivalent to the uncontrolled release of nitrogen waste of about 266,000 people (six times all the people living in the Marlborough District). Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/opinion/9321514/Pollution-the-problem-with-salmon |
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1080 poison in New Zealand
The use of 1080, a pesticide using sodium fluoroacetate, is a contentious issue in New Zealand, with the majority of the debate occurring between conservationists and hunters.
Although the use of 1080 in New Zealand was deemed "effective and safe" by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment in a 2011 re-evaluation and is widely considered to be the most effective tool currently available for controlling possums over large areas, it remains a contentious issue, with the majority of the debate occurring between conservationists and livestock farmers on one side and hunters and animal rights activists on the other. Concerns are also raised about security of potable water supplies in areas where 1080 is applied. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1080_usage_in_New_Zealand |
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Antibiotic Resistance
What would a post-antibiotic world look like? And will humans be able to survive it? These questions have plagued scientists and medical-care providers for years, as nearly all bacteria have become less responsive to antibiotic treatments. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, antibiotic resistance has emerged as one of the world’s most pressing public-health problems.
“Antimicrobial overuse in humans and food-producing animals; globalization and suboptimal infection control facilitate its spread,” a team of leading experts recently reported in the journal Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control. The fear of all bacterias’ eventual resistance to antibiotics is not new; in fact, Sir Alexander Fleming, who discovered penicillin antibiotics in 1928, warned of it in a lecture he gave while accepting the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1945: “It is not difficult to make microbes resistant to penicillin in the laboratory by exposing them to concentrations not sufficient to kill them, and the same thing has occasionally happened in the body,” Fleming said. “The time may come when penicillin can be bought by anyone in the shops. Then there is the danger that the ignorant man may easily underdose himself and by exposing his microbes to non lethal quantities of the drug make them resistant.” Source: https://cogito.cty.jhu.edu/40655/up-for-debate-can-we-prevent-global-antibiotic-resistance/ |
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