Understanding Genetic Modification and Climate Change
How to Create a Transgenic Organism
The process of creating a transgenic organism involves two main stages:
- Gene Introduction: In the first stage, the desired gene is introduced into the genome of a cell from the target organism.
- Regeneration: The second stage involves regenerating a complete plant or animal from the modified cell, often utilizing cloning techniques.
Applications of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)
- Food Industry: Creating foods with special characteristics.
- Pharmaceutical Industry: Producing pharmaceuticals or vaccines.
- Agriculture and Livestock: Enhancing agronomic traits like pest or herbicide resistance in plants, or increasing milk or meat production.
- Environment: Developing plants capable of withstanding toxic substances for waste disposal or producing biofuels.
- Medical Research: Obtaining organs for transplantation from transgenic animals to avoid rejection issues.
Risks of Biotechnology
- Loss of genetic diversity.
- Potential adverse health effects.
The Human Genome Project
The Human Genome Project was designed with two primary goals:
- Identify all existing genes and determine their location on specific chromosomes.
- Determine the exact sequence of nucleotides for each gene to understand the encoded protein and potential alterations.
Approximately 5% of the annual budget was dedicated to ethical, legal, and social issues related to the project.
What is a Genetic Disease?
Inherited genetic diseases can be categorized as:
- Chromosomal Diseases: Result from problems affecting entire chromosomes or large fragments of chromosomes.
- Monogenic Diseases: Caused by changes in a single gene and inherited like any other trait.
Prenatal Diagnosis
Prenatal diagnosis is performed early to detect potential genetic diseases in a fetus.
Gene Therapy
Gene therapy involves using genes to cure or alleviate diseases, both inherited and acquired.
Ethical Dilemmas in Genetics
Genetic advancements raise complex legal, social, and ethical debates concerning confidentiality, autonomy, information, justice, and benefit.
Evidence of Climate Change
Key indicators of climate change include:
- Retreating glaciers.
- Rising sea levels.
- Increasing average global temperatures.
- More frequent extreme weather events.
Many living organisms are altering their behavior and distribution in response to these changes.
Factors Influencing Earth’s Temperature
Earth’s temperature is influenced by:
- The distance to the Sun.
- The presence and composition of the atmosphere.
Atmospheric Composition
The Earth’s atmosphere is primarily composed of:
- Nitrogen: 78%
- Oxygen: 21%
- Carbon Dioxide (CO2): 0.036%
- Water Vapor
The Greenhouse Effect
The atmosphere maintains Earth’s average temperature at approximately 15°C. Without it, the average temperature would be around -18°C.
How the Greenhouse Effect Works
The greenhouse effect functions as follows:
- Albedo Effect: 30% of solar radiation is reflected by the atmosphere or Earth’s surface and returned to space without warming the planet.
- Atmospheric Absorption: 19% of solar radiation is absorbed by the atmosphere.
- Surface Absorption: 51% of solar radiation is absorbed by the Earth’s surface.
Greenhouse Gases
Key greenhouse gases include water vapor, carbon dioxide, and methane. Other contributing gases are ozone, nitrous oxide, and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). Water vapor is the most influential greenhouse gas. The primary driver of global warming in the last century is the increase in anthropogenic (human-caused) greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide.
Difference Between Weather and Climate
Weather refers to the atmospheric conditions at a specific time and place, including temperature, humidity, wind, and cloudiness. Weather can change rapidly, even within seconds.
Climate represents the long-term statistical average of weather patterns, typically measured over hundreds of years.
Causes of Climate Change
External (Astronomical) Causes
- Changes in solar activity.
- Variations in Earth’s orbit.
- Meteorite impacts.
Internal Causes
- Changes in the Earth’s albedo (reflectivity).
- Alterations in ocean currents, such as thermohaline circulation, which distributes heat globally.
Alarming Increase of Greenhouse Gases
Major activities contributing to the rise in greenhouse gases include:
- Burning fossil fuels.
- Deforestation.
- Certain agricultural activities, such as livestock farming (emitting methane) and rice cultivation.