UNIVERSITY OF CEBU – MARITIME EDUCATION AND TRAINING CENTER

Alumnos, Mambaling, Cebu City

General Education Department

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND SOCIETY (STS 101) MODULE 9

“Biodiversity and the Healthy Society”

Time Allocation : 4 hours

First Hour : Biodiversity
Second Hour : Biotechnology
Third Hour : Biosafety and Healthy Society
Fourth Hour : Song Interpretation
Teaching-Learning Activities : Interactive Discussions, Video Clipping, Library Works, Song Interpretation

Learning Outcomes
At the end of the module, the learners will be able to
1. determine the interrelatedness of society, environment, and health;
2. explain the concept of biotechnology;
3. explain how biosafety and healthy society may be attained;
4. discuss the ethics, implications, and potential future impacts of genetic engineering; and
5. provide creative interpretation of the National Biotechnology Week theme song through theatrical
expressions (sing and dance).

Learning Standard: Song Interpretation

1. BIODIVERSITY OR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY

1.1 Description of Biodiversity
• It describes the variety of living beings on Earth and the degree of variation about life.
• It encompasses microorganism, plants, animals, and ecosystems such as coral reefs, forests,
rainforests, deserts, and others.
• It refers to the number or abundance of different species living within a particular region, and
represents the wealth of biological resources available to us. Biodiversity is all about sustaining the
natural area comprising of several communities of plant, animal, and other living thing. Such
communities are decreasing at a steady rate because of harmful human activities that destroys their
respective habitats.
• It varies among living organisms from all sources including terrestrial, marine, and other aquatic
ecosystems and their ecological complexes of which they are part. This also includes diversity within
species, between species, and of ecosystems.
• It forms the foundation of the vast array of ecosystem services that critically contributed to human
well-being.
• It includes managed or unmanaged ecosystems such as wildlands, nature reserves, or national parks.
Managed systems like plantations, farms, croplands, aquaculture sites, rangelands, or even urban
parks and urban ecosystems have their own biodiversity.
• It is unevenly distributed and varies globally and within regions. Numerous factors influenced
biodiversity including temperature, altitude, precipitation, soils, and their relation with other
species. For instance, ocean biodiversity is 25 times lesser than terrestrial ones. Biodiversity
increases its forms as it moves from the poles towards the tropics.

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 • It is a result of 3.5 billion years of evolution and has been subjected to periods of extinction. The latest
and most destructive stage is Holocene extinction that occurred due to the harmful activities of
human beings on the environment.

1.2 Essential Elements of Biodiversity

• Genetic Diversity
• Ecosystem Diversity
• Species Diversity
• Molecular Diversity – recently added as part of essential elements of biodiversity

1.3 Importance of Biodiversity

• Biodiversity has a number of functions on the Earth. These are:
 Maintaining balance of the ecosystem – recycling and storing of nutrients, combating
pollution, stabilizing climate, protecting water resources, forming and protecting soil, and
maintaining ecobalance
 Provision of biological resources – provision of medicines and pharmaceuticals, food for the
human population and animals, ornamental plants, wood products, breeding stock, diversity
of species, ecosystems, and genes
 Social benefits – recreation, tourism, culture, education, and research
• Role of biodiversity in the following areas will help in emphasizing the importance of biodiversity in
human life:
 Biodiversity and food – 80% of human food supply comes from 20 kinds of plants but humans
used 40,000 species for food, clothing, and shelter. Biodiversity provides variety of foods for
the planet.
 Biodiversity and human health – shortage of drinking water is expected to create a major
global crisis. Biodiversity also plays an important role in drug discovery and medicinal
resources. Medicines from nature account for usage by 80% of the world’s population.
 Biodiversity and industry – Biological sources provide many industrial materials. These include
fiber, oil, dyes, rubber, water, timber, paper, and food.
 Biodiversity and culture – Biodiversity enhances recreational activities like bird watching,
fishing, and trekking. It also inspires musicians and artists.

1.4 Reason for Loss of Biodiversity

• The Earth’s biodiversity is in grave danger. In the present era, harmful human activities are the most
dangerous cause of destruction on the Earth’s biodiversity. The terms like threatened, endangered
or rare were used to describe the status of many species in 2006. The “evil quartet” identified by
Jared Diamond is about the overkill, habitat destruction, secondary extinction, and species
introduction. Factors identified by Edward Wilson are further described by the acronym “HIPPO”
that stands for Habitat destruction, Invasive species, Pollution, Population (continued expansion of
human population), and Overharvesting.

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 • Habitat destruction is a major cause for biodiversity loss. Habitat loss is caused by deforestation,
overpopulation, pollution, and global warming. Species which are physically large and those living in
forests or oceans are more affected by the destruction of their habitats.
• Some experts estimated that around 30% of all species on Earth will be extinct by 2050. According to
the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), about one third of all known species
globally are threatened with extinction. It is also estimated that 25% of all mammals will be extinct
within 20 years.
• Even if a small element of an ecosystem breaks down, the whole system’s balance will be threatened.
Fresh water ecosystems are currently the most threatened ecosystems. Invasive species refer to
those that would normally remain constrained from an ecosystem because of the presence of
natural barriers. Since these barriers are no longer existing, invasive species will invade the
ecosystem and consequently destroy native species. Human activities have been the major cause for
introduction of invasive species to an ecosystem.
• Species can also be threatened by genetic pollution like uncontrolled hybridization and gene
swamping. Abundant species can interbreed with rare species causing swamping of the gene pool.
Over-exploitation is caused by activities such as overfishing, over-hunting, excessive logging, and
illegal wildlife trade. Over 25% of global fisheries are being overfished at unsustainable levels.
• Global warming also becomes a major cause for biodiversity loss. If the present rate of global warming
continues, coral reefs which are biodiversity hotspots will disappear in 20-40 years. Around 10% of
all species might become extinct by 2015 if global warming continues.
• We can say that biodiversity which is crucial for the well-being of life on Earth is coming under the
threat of many factors related to human activities. There is an urgent need to take action to protect
the magnificent biodiversity of our planet. We must create economic policies to maintain the Earth’s
biodiversity and take appropriate measures to protect habitats and species.

2. BIOTECHNOLOGY
2.1 Description of Biotechnology
• It may possibly influence or affect biodiversity.
• It is about the use of biology to solve problems and make useful products. The most prominent area of
biotechnology is the production of therapeutic proteins and other drugs through genetic
engineering.
• It refers to any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives
to make or modify products or processes for specific use (UN Convention on Biological Diversity,
Article 2). Depending on the tools and applications, it often overlaps with related fields of molecular
biology, bio-engineering, biomedical engineering, biomanufacturing, and molecular engineering.
• Biotech or biotechnology encompasses a wide range of procedures for modifying living organisms
according to human purposes, going back to domestication of animals, cultivation of plants, and
“improvements” to these through breeding programs that employ artificial selection and
hybridization. Modern usage also includes genetic engineering as well as cell and tissue culture
technologies.

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 • It has applications in four major industrial areas including health care (medical), crop production and
agriculture, non-food (industrial) uses of crops, other products (e.g. biodegradable plastics,
vegetable oil, biofuels) and environmental uses.

2.2 Development of Biotechnology

• Zymotechnology or zymurgy deals with the study of biochemical process and practical uses of
fermentation
 19th century Germany - start of biotechnology
 Biotechnology – coined by Hungarian Karolv Erekv in 1919 to describe a technology based on
converting raw materials into a more useful product
 1920s – began fermenting nonalcoholic drinks
• 1920s – penicillin considered as the first antibiotic and was discovered using deep fermentation
process in 1928
• 1933 – hybrid corn became commercialized
• 1940s – penicillin became commercially available
• 1950s – steroids were produced (cortisone), and opened the way for inexpensive and readily available
drugs
• 1951 – artificial insemination of livestock was accomplished using frozen semen
• 1953 – James D. Watson and Francis Crick described the structure of DNA
• 1960s – single-cell protein (growing food from waste)
• 1970s – rise of genetic engineering with the application of recombinant DNA technique by Cohen and
Boyer (1973)
• 1973 – Stanley Norman Cohen and Herbert Boyer performed the first successful recombinant DNA
experiment using bacterial genes
• 1982 – Humulin, Genentech’s human insulin drug produced by genetically engineered bacteria for the
treatment of diabetes, was the first biotech drug to be approved by the FDA
• 1990 – first federally approved gene therapy treatment was performed successfully on a young girl
who suffered from an immune disorder
• 2000 – completion of a “rough draft” of the human genome in the Human Genome Project
• 2002 – rice became the first crop to have its genome decoded
• 2012 – a 31-year-old amputee named Zac Vawter successfully uses a nervous system-controlled bionic
leg to climb the Chicago Willis Tower

2.3 Types of Biotechnology

• Green Biotechnology – creation of more fertile and resistant seeds, plants, and resources by using
specialized techniques. This includes the creation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). It also
focused on the development of agriculture.
• Yellow Biotechnology – use of biotechnology in food production, for example in making wine, cheese,
and beer

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 • White Biotechnology – uses living cells from yeast, molds, bacteria, plants, and enzymes to synthesize
products that are easily degradable
• Blue Biotechnology – based on the exploitation of sea resources to create products and industrial
applications like the production of bio-oils with photosynthetic micro-algae
• Red Biotechnology – related to medical and pharmaceutical industries and health preservation;
production of vaccines and antibiotics; and development of hormones, stem cells, antibodies, and
diagnostic tests
• Gray Biotechnology – dedicated to environmental applications, maintenance of biodiversity, and
prevention and removal of pollutants
• Brown Biotechnology – management of arid lands and deserts, creation of enhanced seeds that resist
extreme environmental conditions
• Gold Biotechnology – also called bioinformatics. It is related to nanobiotechnology and computed
biotechnology.
• Violet Biotechnology – law, ethical, and philosophical issues around biotechnology
• Dark Biotechnology – refers to bioterrorism, biowarfare, or biological weapons that uses
microorganisms and toxins to cause diseases and death in humans, livestock, and crops

3. BIOENGINEERING
3.1 Description of Bioengineering
• Discipline that applies engineering principles of design and analysis to biological systems and
biomedical technologies. Examples of bioengineering research include bacteria engineered to
produce chemicals, new medical imaging technology, portable disease diagnostic devices, and tissue
engineered organs.

3.2 Recombinant Deoxyribonucleic Acid (rDNA)

• Described the combination of two deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) strands that are constructed artificially
• Created in a laboratory setting using a process of molecular cloning
• Genetic material from one organism is artificially introduced into the genome of another organism
• Peter Lobban and A. Dale Kaiser were the first scientists to propose a technique to form recombinant
DNA
• Werner Arber, Daniel Nathans, and Hamilton Smith were awarded in 1978 the Nobel Prize in Medicine
for creating technology to discover, isolate, and apply rDNA
• Improved largely through the work of Herbert W. Boyer, Stanley N. Cohen, and Paul Berg

3.3 Applications of rDNA

• Food and Agriculture
 Maximize production and use of plants
 Resistance to disease
 Distant hybridization – distantly related species
 Transgenic plants – foreign genes

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  Development of root nodules in cereal crops – contain nitrogen-fixing bacteria Rhizobium
 Development of C4 Plants – higher potential rate of biomass production
• Health and Diseases (Medicine)
 Gene Therapy – to treat genetic diseases
 Production of antibodies and their derivatives
 Investigation of drug metabolism
 Development of vaccines and recombinant hormones (lowering the cost)

Medically Useful Applications

Recombinant Products
1. Human Insulin Treatment of insulin-dependent diabetes
2. Human Growth Hormone Replacement of missing hormone in short stature
people
3. Calcitonin Treatment of rickets
4. Human Chorionic Gonadotropin Treatment of infertility
5. Blood Clotting Factor (VIII or IX) Replacement of clotting factor missing in patients with
haemopholia A or B
6. Tissue Plasminogen Activator Dissolving of blood clots after heart attack and strokes
7. Erythropoietin Stimulation of the formation of erythrocytes or red
blood cells (RBCs) for patients suffering from anemia
during kidney dialysis or side effects of AIDS patients
treated by drugs
8. Platelet-derived Growth Factor Stimulation of wound healing
9. Interferon Treatment of pathogenic viral infections and cancer
10. Interleukins Enhancement of the action of immune system
11. Vaccines Prevention of infectious diseases such as hepatitis B,
herpes, influenza, pertussis, meningitis, etc.

• Environment
 Helped in solving major environmental issues
 Phytoremediation and plant resistance development like the detection and absorption of
contaminants
 Energy application (e.g. cyanobacteria mediates hydrogen production as eco-friendly energy
source)
• Research
 Continuous search for the attainment of the so-called elixir of life
 Unending quest of a good life

4. BIOSAFETY
4.1 Description of Biosafety
• Prevention of large-scale loss of biological integrity, focusing both on ecology and human health
• Biosafety is related to several fields:
 Ecology – refers to imported life forms from beyond ecoregion borders
 Agriculture – reduces the risk of alien viral or transgenic genes, genetic engineering, or prions
such as Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) or “Mad Cow Disease”. It also reduces the
risk of food bacterial consumption.

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  Medicine – refers to organs or tissues from biological origin, genetic therapy products, and
viruses; levels of laboratory containment protocols measured as 1, 2, 3, 4 in rising order of
danger
 Chemistry – nitrates in water, polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) levels affecting fertility
 Exobiology – NASA’s policy for containing alien microbes that may exist on space samples.
Details about this topic are further explained in planetary protection and interplanetary
contamination literatures.
 Synthetic Biology – referring to the risks associated with this type of lab practice

4.2 Concerns About rDNA Safety

• Safety concerns such as pathogenic microorganisms like bacteria may develop antibiotic resistance
• Environmental concerns such as developing resistance to fungi
• Ethical dilemmas over human treatment
• Potential for experimental abuse such as doctors using patients as test subjects
• Germline treatment – treating diseases and selecting preferred physical traits on a child like specifying
hair and eye color
• Infectious, toxic, allergenic, and biologically threatening by-products
• Concerns are raised on the following areas of experimentation
 Formation – creation of a genetically-altered microorganism through deliberate or accidental
means
 Release – deliberate release or accidental escape of some of these microorganisms in the
workplace and into the environment
 Proliferation – subsequent multiplication, genetic reconstruction, growth, transport,
modification and die-off of these microorganisms in the environment including possible
transfer of genetic material to other microorganisms
 Establishment – establishment of these microorganisms within an ecosystem niche including
possible colonization of humans or other biota
 Effect – subsequent occurrence of human or ecological effects due to interaction of the
organism with some host or environmental factor

4.3 Current Trends of rDNA

• Prevention and cure against genetic disorders
• Improving high efficacy of transfection for cancer gene therapy
• Environmental cleaning like phytoremediation and microbial remediation
• Thorough research to address the challenges and resolve the issues and concerns of common people

THE CARTAGENA PROTOCOL ON BIOSAFETY

The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity is an international

treaty governing the movements of living modified organisms (LMOs) resulting from modern biotechnology

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from one country to another. It was adopted on January 29, 2000 as a supplementary agreement to the
Convention on Biological Diversity and entered into force on September 11, 2003.
The Protocol applies to the transboundary movement, transit, handling and use of all living modified
organisms that may have adverse effects on the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity,
taking also into account the risks to human health (Article 4 of the Protocol, SCBD 2000).
The Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity adopted a supplementary
agreement to the Convention known as the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety on January 29, 2000. The
Protocol seeks to protect biological diversity from the potential risks posed by living modified organisms
resulting from modern biotechnology. It establishes the Advance Informed Agreement (AIA) procedure for
ensuring that countries are provided with the information necessary to make informed decisions before
agreeing to the import of such organisms into their territory.
The Protocol contains reference to a precautionary approach and reaffirms the precaution language
in Principle 15 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development. The Protocol also establishes a
Biosafety Clearing-House to facilitate the exchange of information on living modified organisms and to assist
countries in the implementation of the Protocol.
The Protocol established a Biosafety Clearing-House (BCH) to facilitate the exchange of scientific,
technical, environmental, and legal information on, and experience with, living modified organisms; and to
assist Parties to implement the Protocol (Article 20 of the Protocol, SCBD 2000). It was established in a
phased manner, and the first meeting of the Parties approved the transition from the pilot phase to the fully
operation phase, and adopted modalities for its operations (Decision BS-I/3, SCBD 2004).
The International Health Regulations, or IHR (2005), represents an agreement between 196
countries including all the World Health Organization (WHO) Member States to work together for global
health security. Countries have agreed to build their capacities to detect, assess, and report public health
events through the IHR. WHO plays the coordinating role in IHR and, together with its partners, helps
countries to build capacities. IHR also includes specific measures at ports, airports, and ground crossings to
limit the spread of health risks to neighboring countries, and to prevent unwarranted travel and trade
restrictions so that traffic and trade disruption is kept at a minimum.

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 SONG INTERPRETATION

Guidelines:

1. Song interpretation is a group activity.

2. Each group must make or provide a creative interpretation (sing and dance) for the National
Biotechnology Week Song by the DOST - STII
3. Participants must make a concept of their interpretation and must use props, costumes, and
accessories to make the interpretation more appealing and relevant.
4. The interpretation must show the important aspects (scenes) of biodiversity, biotechnology,
biosafety, and health society.
5. Grading, rating, or scoring of the group’s performance shall be based on the rubric below.

Rubric for the Song Interpretation

Group Name Date

Course and Year Time Schedule

Criteria Excellent Good Fair Poor Rating

5 Points 4 Points 3 Point 2 Points
Creativity Very creative and Creative and original. Projection shows No original
neat. Results show Looks like a lot of some thought but thoughts. No
that great time was time and energy did not expand on creativities went
spent into the went into the ideas or make the into movement.
projection. projection. movement their
Movement really own.
stands out as an
original.

Use of music, Props, accessories, Music, props, Used minimal music, Sloppy, very little/
props, and costumes are accessories, and props, accessories, no use of music,
accessories, and very colorful. Story is costumes are and costumes. Plain. props, accessories,
costumes very attractive to the coordinated nicely. and costumes.
eyes. No dead or Incomplete.
uncomfortable times
during performance.

Relevance to It is creative, Student can explain Either has nothing to Has nothing to do
the chapter organized, and the use of do with the body with the concepts
assignment accurate to the movements and system/organs or is of the chapter.
assignment. Is clearly music, props, sloppy in its visual Cannot explain the
a representation of accessories, and display and assignment.
the body system costumes. description of the
through dance, assignment.
movement, and
music.

Effort A 100% effort has Shows true effort Shows some effort No effort in the
been displayed and attention to but is sloppy in the creation of the
through the dance or detail. performance. dance and
movement. Great movement.
attention went into
detail and
performance.

Presentation Presented their Took pride in the Executed the song Could not explain
dance with performance of the and dance but with the dance or
enthusiasm. dance and no enthusiasm or answer questions
Execution of the song movement. Process care. about the system.
and dance was was explained and
energetic. Questions answered through
were answered with execution of song
great thought. and dance.

Total