1 4 Biologists Tools and Technology KEY CONCEPT

1. 4 Biologists’ Tools and Technology KEY CONCEPT Technology continually changes the way biologists work.

1. 4 Biologists’ Tools and Technology • Objectives: – Students will be able to describe ways technology continually changes the way biologist work. – Students will be able to describe how biotechnology relates to the 21 st Century.

1. 4 Biologists’ Tools and Technology Imaging technologies provide new views of life. • A microscope provides an enlarged image of an object. – light microscopes (LM) stoma

1. 4 Biologists’ Tools and Technology Imaging technologies provide new views of life. • A microscope provides an enlarged image of an object. – light microscopes (LM) – scanning electron microscopes (SEM) stoma

1. 4 Biologists’ Tools and Technology Imaging technologies provide new views of life. • A microscope provides an enlarged image of an object. – light microscopes (LM) – scanning electron microscopes (SEM) – transmission electron microscopes (TEM) stoma

1. 4 Biologists’ Tools and Technology • Imaging technology is used in medicine. – X-ray images

1. 4 Biologists’ Tools and Technology • Imaging technology is used in medicine. – X-ray images – magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

1. 4 Biologists’ Tools and Technology • Imaging technology is used in medicine. – X-ray images – magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) – functional MRI (f. MRI)

1. 4 Biologists’ Tools and Technology Complex systems are modeled on computers. • Computer models are used to study systems that cannot be studied directly. – heart attacks – effect of medicines on the human body – movement of water molecules into and out of a cell – spread of a disease through a population • Computer models are used when experiments are not safe, ethical, or practical. Normal heartbeat Heart attack

1. 4 Biologists’ Tools and Technology The tools of molecular genetics give rise to new biological studies. • A gene is a segment of DNA that stores genetic information.

1. 4 Biologists’ Tools and Technology • Through our understanding of DNA, we can study genetics on a molecular level. – molecular genetics – genomics

1. 4 Biologists’ Tools and Technology 1. 4 Review • 1. How do light microscopes differ from electron microscopes? • Why is computer modeling used in biological studies? • How does molecular genetics add to our understanding of genes? • Viruses are smaller than cells. What types of microscopes could be used to study them? Explain • Provide an example of how technology has helped biologists gain a better understanding of life.

1. 45 Biologists’ Tools and Technology KEY CONCEPT Understanding biology can help you make informed decisions.

1. 45 Biologists’ Tools and Technology Your health and the health of the environment depend on your knowledge of biology. • Knowledge of biology helps you understand your health. – food allergies – potential effects of obesity

1. 45 Biologists’ Tools and Technology • Knowledge of biology helps you understand your health. – food allergies – potential effects of obesity – cancer – effects of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs brain lungs heart liver kidneys

1. 45 Biologists’ Tools and Technology • Knowledge of biology can help you understand environmental issues. – interactions in ecosystems – pollution – biodiversity

1. 45 Biologists’ Tools and Technology Biotechnology offers great promise but also raises many issues. • Biotechnology is the use and application of living things and biological processes.

1. 45 Biologists’ Tools and Technology • Biotechnology is the use and application of living things and biological processes. – DNA testing in medicine and forensics – transgenic (genetically modified) crops – transgenic bacteria

1. 45 Biologists’ Tools and Technology • Questions are raised about the use of biotechnology. – safety of genetically modified crops – spread of undesirable genes – decrease in biodiversity – ethical considerations

1. 45 Biologists’ Tools and Technology Biology presents many unanswered questions. • Over the past 50 years, biological knowledge has greatly increased.

1. 45 Biologists’ Tools and Technology • There are still many questions to answer in biology. – How are memories stored in the brain?

1. 45 Biologists’ Tools and Technology • There are still many questions to answer in biology. – How are memories stored in the brain? – How do viruses mutate? capsid nucleic acid lipid envelope surface proteins – Does life exist on planets other than Earth?

1. 4 Biologists’ Tools and Technology 1. 5 Review • Give three examples of ways in which biology can help inform everyday decisions. • What are some of the potential benefits and potential risks of biotechnology? • What are some of the unanswered questions in biology? • Scientists disagree on whether genetically modified foods are safe to eat. What type of scientific evidence would be needed to show that genetically modified food is unsafe? • How might your study of biology help inform you about your lifestyle choices?