1 5 Biology and Your Future KEY CONCEPT

1. 5 Biology and Your Future KEY CONCEPT Understanding biology can help you make informed decisions.

1. 5 Biology and Your Future 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. 5 Biology and Your Future • 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. 5 Biology and Your Future • Knowledge of biology can help you understand environmental issues. – interactions in ecosystems – pollution – biodiversity

1. 5 Biology and Your Future • 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. 5 Biology and Your Future • Questions are raised about the use of biotechnology. – safety of genetically modified crops – spread of undesirable genes – decrease in biodiversity – ethical considerations

1. 5 Biology and Your Future Biology presents many unanswered questions. • Over the past 50 years, biological knowledge has greatly increased.

1. 5 Biology and Your Future • There are still many questions to answer in biology. – How are memories stored in the brain?

1. 5 Biology and Your Future • 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?