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Issues in Biotechnology: The Way We Work With Life Dr. Albert P. Kausch life edu.org OnCampus Live BCH 190, MIC 190, AFS 190, NRS 190, PLS 190 OnLine BCH 190 A Sweeping General Survey on Life and Biotechnology A Public Access College Course The University of Rhode Island Issues in Biotechnology: Biotechnology, Our Society and Our Future Issues in Biotechnology: The Way We Work With Life Dr. Albert Kausch Kimberly Nelson BCH 190 Section I. The Mechanics of DNA: What is Life Section II. The Applications of Biotechnology A Sweeping General Survey on Life and Biotechnology A Public Access College Course The University of Rhode Islandlife edu.org Issues in Biotechnology: The Way We Work With Life Dr. Albert P. Kausch life edu.org Part II The Applications of Biotechnology A Sweeping General Survey on Life and Biotechnology The University of Rhode Island Agricultural Biotechnology © life_edu Lectures 13 and 14 Issues in Biotechnology: The Way We Work With Life Dr. Albert P. Kausch life edu.org Agricultural Biotechnology Part I Where Does Our Food Come From? Part II DNA-based Biotechnology And Modern Agriculture Part III. Issues, Controversies and Concerns a. Setting the Stage about Food and Agriculture: b. Issues, Controversies and Concerns c. The Organic Food Debate Part IV. The Ethics of Agriculture © life_edu Part V. Renewable Energy and the Future of Humanity Issues in Biotechnology: The Way We Work With Life Dr. Albert P. Kausch life edu.org Agricultural Biotechnology Part IIIc. Issues, Controversies and Concerns The Organic Food Industrial Complex © life_edu Crop Plants Conventional farming Organic farming Organic farming No Synthetic Pesticides No Synthetic Fertilizers No GMOs Is Organic Food Better for You? © life_edu Is Organic Food Better for the Environment? © life_edu Is Organic Food Safer? © life_edu Is Organic Food Better for You? © life_edu Conventional Foods Processed Foods Organic Foods Natural Foods Whole Foods Are Organic Foods Really Better For You? What Consumers really want is good, clean, safe food. Is that too much too ask? Organic Foods promise safety from pesticides. No synthetic fertilizer No GMO Natural Foods © life_edu Organic farming No Synthetic Pesticides No Synthetic Fertilizers No GMOs “Our goal of no-GMO ingredients in our Whole Foods market brand and 365 products is focused on accessing ingredients derived from non-genetically modified seeds. Unfortunately, absolute "GMOfree" guarantees cannot be made on any manufacturer's product. Not only is it impossible to test every container of product, but currently there is no system in the United States to guard against drift from farmers using GMO seed that could potentially contaminate non-GMO © life_edu crops.” Is Organic more nutritious? Sixty-eight percent of the respondents in a recent US poll said a product labeled "USDA Certified Organic" would indicate the food was safer than non-organic foods. Sixty-seven percent believe the label would indicate food of higher quality than non-organic foods. Sixty-two percent believe the label would mean the food is more healthful for consumers than non-organic food. © life_edu Are organic foods more nutritious? The head of the U.S. Organic Trade Association recently had to admit organic food was no more nutritious than any other food and that organic food standards had nothing to do with food safety. © life_edu Is Organic Food Better for the Environment? © life_edu Is the Organic solution viable for sustainable world agriculture? Organic Advocates Argue: Wiser Land Use. Less Pesticides. More Biodiversity. Sustainable Agriculturists Argue…. © life_edu Is the Organic solution viable for sustainable world agriculture? Critics argue: Feeding Humanity From Organic Fields Would Mean Cropping Twice As Much Land As We Currently Plant. © life_edu •Gene transfer to other crops or wild plants. •Change in herbicide use patterns •Squandering of valuable pest resistance genes •Poisoning of wildlife •Creation of new or worse viruses •Un-assessable long term risks Are There Unknown Risks to the Environment? © life_edu Pesticides Kill Insects Indiscriminately A butterfly beats it’s wings in the Amazon… and changes the weather in Chicago. © life_edu In 1962, Carson wrote: “A truly extraordinary variety of alternatives to the chemical control of insects is available. Some are already in use and have achieved brilliant success. Others are in the stage of laboratory testing. Still others are little more than ideas in the minds of imaginative scientists, waiting for the opportunity to put them to the test. All have this in common: they are biological solutions, based on understanding of the living organisms they seek to control, and of the whole fabric of life to which these organisms belong. Specialists representing various areas of the vast field of biology are contributing— entomologists, pathologists, geneticists, physiologists, biochemists and ecologists—all pouring their knowledge and their creative inspirations into the formation of a new science of biotic controls” Is Organic Food Safer? © life_edu Organic vs. Transgenic Wild-type corn variety with secondary fungal infection Bt corn resistant to corn borer damage, resulting in less secondary fungal infections. © life_edu What the public wants is safe food that is good. So while the organic standards may attempt to ensure freedom from pesticide residues, the freedom of organic foods from vermin, mycotoxins and other contamination may be less certain. Mycotoxins Organic farmers are more likely to let their crops suffer rodent and insect damage, which leads to more fungal infections and more natural toxins in the food. © life_edu Perhaps New Organic Food Standards Could Use Warning Labels Organic Products Are Not Necessarily Tastier, Healthier Or Pesticide-Free © life_edu Organic agriculture is not a food safety claim (FDA) Organic means only that the farmers use organic fertilizer instead of chemical fertilizer and "natural" pesticides such as copper sulfate (broadly toxic) and sulfur (a soil contaminant). © life_edu Price Comparison Conventional vs Organic Price Comparison Conventional vs Organic Price Comparison Conventional vs Organic Why is Organic Food So Expensive? Sustainable Agriculture Is Organic Production Viable on a Large Scale? Are GM crops a Threat to Biodiversity? Does Local Food Production Really lower the Carbon Footprint? Does Organic Food really lower your exposure to pesticides? © life_edu 22. It is interesting that all life on this planet uses information in the form of either DNA, RNA or both; that the same bases are used; and, that the genetic code is almost always the same using three of those bases to code for one of twenty amino acids. (And it’s the same twenty amino acids!) It is also interesting that RNA uses the base Uracil in place of Thymine. The sequence GATTACA in DNA will code for what sequence in RNA in a Genetically Modified plant? a. CUAAUGU b. TATTACU c. CTAATCT d. TGCCUAG e. TUGGTCU 23. Genetic engineering of crop plants is controversial because: a. Uncertainty about safety and Regulatory issues b. Big science, big companies “Crossing the line” and a Distrust of Science c. Environmental concerns d. Globalization, Right of choice (labeling) and Food culture issues e. All of the issues shown play a role in the controversy 24. Organic Farming promises a. Only no synthetic pesticides b. Only no Synthetic Fertilizers c. Only no GMOs d. No synthetic pesticides, no synthetic fertilizers and no GMOs e. Food that is safe without food borne diseases like E coli. 25. Organic Foods are know to be better for you since a. They have been shown to have quantitatively higher levels of proteins compared with their conventional counterparts b. They have been shown to have quantitatively higher levels of vitamins compared with their conventional counterparts c. They have no GMOs which have been demonstrated to have negative effects on human health d. They are only grown from heirloom varieties that have not been robbed of their inherent nutritional value the way conventional crops have been. e. They are safer than their conventional counterparts regarding food borne diseases like E coli. Sustainable Agriculture Responsible Land Management Practices Water Use Efficiency © life_edu Maarten J. Chrispeels,ed. Director San Diego Center for Molecular Biology © life_edu Issues in Biotechnology: The Way We Work With Life Dr. Albert P. Kausch life edu.org Agricultural Biotechnology Part IV. Issues, Controversies and Concerns The Ethics Of Agricultural Biotechnology © life_edu