Exploring Biotechnology Paper Biology 310

Biotechnology is a rapidly growing field that touches our lives whether we are aware of it or not. Biotechnology is involved in the production of food and medicines, in solving crimes, stem cell research, cloning, and other basic biological research. It can also involve genetically engineered organisms, genetically engineered crops, and unknown possible impacts to our natural ecosystems.

To start, skim through the second part of Chapters 8 and 9 of your textbook. These sections summarize some of the ways biotechnology and genetic engineering are currently being used and will give you more background to help you select your articles and write your paper.

Next, find two short news articles related to biotechnology. Each article must be from the last 6 months and cannot just be an informational webpage. Each article should cover a different aspect of biotechnology. Please print out and attach both articles to your paper. The following are recommended websites that have up-to-date biology articles:

https://www.sciencenews.org/ http://www.sciencedaily.com/
http://www.scientificamerican.com/section/news/ http://discovermagazine.com/
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/ http://www.popsci.com

Remember that “biotechnology” can include many things but it must start with the manipulation of a living organism; technology that simply benefits living organisms is not considered biotechnology. If you are not sure if an article fits under the umbrella of “biotechnology,” please check with me.

For each article, answer the following prompts:

Write a brief, one paragraph summary of the content of the article. Be careful to avoid plagiarism; I want the summary in your own words, not in the words of the author of the article!
Explain/describe the specific aspects of biotechnology that are being discussed in the article. This may mean you will need to refer to your text, lecture notes, or other sources to explain the basic concepts involved. For example, if you are reading an article about cloning pets: what is cloning? How is it done?
Assess the scientific credibility of the article (see the first paper we did!)
Describe your reaction to the article; do you agree/disagree with what is discussed etc.

Your paper should be typed (10-12 point font), double spaced, and with 1-inch margins. Please ask me if you have any questions or need any clarification.

Please include website and the article name at the bottom of the paper