Transcript Section 1.2 “Biology in Your World”

Section 1.2
“Biology in Your World”
Biologists address problems like the
growing human population, increasing
damage to the environment, and lifethreatening diseases.
Overpopulation
World’s pop is over 6 billion people!
What problems are associated with so many
people?
World POPClock Projection
U.S. POPClock Projection
China’s unique
problem
Losing Rainforests
• What’s the big deal? The
world’s TRF are home to
one-half of the world’s
species of plants &
animals.
• We would lose more than
a million species (greatest
extinction since the
dinosaurs!); potential
foods & medicines are
being destroyed.
• The TRF are being destroyed at the rate of
more than an acre per second. At this rate,
all of the rain forests will be gone in less
than 30 years.
Possible solution to feeding a
growing population
• Genetic engineers are transplanting
beneficial plant genes into other plants to
create crops that are more resistant to
insects and microorganisms.
• It is hopeful that these genetically
engineered crops will reduce the need for
insecticides and increase crop yields.
Biology Advances in Fighting
Disease
1. Aids (Auto Immunodeficiency Disorder)Intensive research to find a way to help
those already suffering and to halt the
spread of the disease
Hiv vaccine
2. Cancer- The number of people with
cancer is increasing despite research that
has found that many cancer deaths are
preventable.
cancer vaccine
3. Cystic fibrosis- currently, scientists are
working on the replacement of a defective
gene with a normal gene. This procedure
is called gene therapy.
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