P6. Explain the social benefits of micro-organisms.
Introduction
In this assignment I am going to explain the 5 different social benefits of micro-organisms. The areas I am going to talk about are as follows;
o Food o Pharmaceutical o Agriculture o Recycling of matter o Genetic engineering
Microbes are useful in many ways in a number of different industries;
Food:
Microbes are major key components in both are homes and industrial food preparation. There are number of lactic acid which is a form of bacteria which is a large group of beneficial bacteria used in certain foods while they are getting prepared such as yogurt, cheese, sour cream, butter milk and other type of fermented milk products. Things such as vinegars are produced by bacterial acetic acid fermentation. Yeast is also major use in the making of beer and wine and also for the leaving of breads. This also involves fermentations to convert corn and other vegetable carbohydrates to also make beer, wine or gasohol but also bacteria is the agents of are other foods. Other fermented foods will include things such as soy sauce, olives and cocoa. (Microbes and human life, 2013) Single cell proteins are known as dried cells of microbes which are used in protein supplement shacks. They are also called “novel food” and “minifood”. The production of this requires micro-organisms which then serve as the protein source and then the substrate which is biomass which they grow on them. There are a number of both these sources that we are able to use for the production of single cell protein (SCP). The micro-organisms used belong to the following groups of Algae, Fungi and bacteria. (Slide Share, 2012)
Pharmaceuticals;
The Pharmaceutical industry understands the p...
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...ound in the organism. An example would be that organisms are currently on the market and also include plants with the resistance to some insects and also plants can also tolerate herbicides and also crops with modified oil contents. (Biosafety, 2005) Genetic engineering was found to be a changing of an organism. The first big success of genetic engineering was found to be the production of insulin which is a hormone which is produced by the human’s pancreas by something called genetically modified bacteria. Then today’s genetic engineering techniques are used in a lot of different areas.
For example such as medicine, it can be sometime possible to reading DNA sequences and find out how some diseases occur. It can sometimes be possible to fight some infectious diseases or any form of disease by changing the DNA codons which cause most of these problems.
Genetic engineering is defined as the direct manipulation of genes for practical purposes (citation). It is modifying an organism’s genome using biotechnology (citation). An example of genetic engineering is recombinant DNA technology, which is using DNA from two different sources (citation). This means you can insert the DNA from one species into another in order to make useful proteins. This technology can be used to develop useful human proteins. Some proteins that have been made from recombinant DNA technology are insulin, HGH, Ce...
In her book, Dorothy Crawford gives biographies of the history of microbes which have brought humans diseases on a large scale. These include epidemics like yellow fever, tuberculosis, smallpox, acute respiratory syndrome, bubonic plague, syphilis HIV, the Black Death, malaria and cholera. It is worth to point out that her work is up to date because most of these microbes are still with us in this era. Crawford uses the historical bibliography of humans experience with microbes to show a fact that microbes shaped our culture through infection, disease, and pandemic. At the same time, the ever changing human culture has also largely influenced the evolutionary nature of microbes.
The main purpose of accomplishing multiple tests on an unknown organism was to pick a random unknown tube and identify which microorganism it was. One of the important thing about these different tests are to make sure the tests are performed correctly and the results are interpreted correctly or else the unknown organism will come out as a mess. One instance where it is important to interpret the tests is in the medical field. If a patient is sick because of an unknown organism, samples from the patient can be taken out and the lab can perform tests on it and interpret the results correctly to identify the exact type of microorganism in order to cure the patient with antibiotics and treatment. In the end, this will help scientist cure diseases, help make up treatments for specific organisms, and help the world be a healthier place one step at a time.
Genetic engineering, sometimes called genetic modification, is the process to alter the structure and nature of genes in humans, plants, and animals (what is genetic engineering). Because DNA is a code that is universal, genes can be manipulated
Microorganisms play an important role in our life: helps us to process our nourishment, break down squanders and take an interest in different life cycles. They are various and have adjusted to occupy distinctive situations including outrageous conditions, for example, hot vents under the sea to ice tops. In “Bugged” by Rinku Patel aims that we know little about microbes, however there is a big part of unknown and we should learn more about these microbes that could benefit our health wise. Therefore, the author tries to emphasize on the effect of microbes in our life while engaging the reader to see things through the advantages of microbes, the disadvantages and defining useful bacteria.
All in all we are able to understand the significance of prokaryotes, not merely to the human species, but to other species and organisms as well. These prokaryotes are the inventors of biochemical pathways and contain an extreme biochemical diversity which has enabled them to survive and succeed as a kingdom on its own.
These living conditions are affected by rate of O2, temperature and light intensity being at the optimum level. (General Bacteriology, 2015)
Since September we have studied different types of bacteria in lab on Tuesdays and Thursdays, along with the readings in the Laboratory manual. Many of these organism we have come into contact with a one time or another and continue to do so. Identification of these bacteria is necessary because everything we do such as eating, drinking, cleaning, and healthcare, just to name a few, effects all living things ???? The
Genetic engineering refers to the technology used to alter and transport genomes and organisms, effectively shaping them to the desire or will of the geneticist. Genetic engineering can also be referred to as Genetic Modification or Genetic Manipulation (Genetics). Organisms that undergo or are created by the process of genetic engineering are referred to as Genetically Modified Organisms or GMOs for short. Genetic engineering can be used to create or change entire species, such as glow in the dark organisms, and is widely used in industries such as agriculture and energy production (Genetics).
In simpler terms, genetic engineering is the manipulation of an organism’s genetic material in a lab with the insertion of one or more new pieces of DNA, changing the genetic code. In other words, the lab genetically engineering DNA literally transfers genes from related and/or totally unrelated organisms, modifying the information in a gene. This technique is called “gene editing,” where the scientist or technician moves, deletes or multiplies genes within a living organism and splices together pieces of existing genes, or constructs new ones. (Anoniou, Fagan, and Robinson, 20-21). Anoniou, Fagan, and Robinson further
Scientists are using various methods of genetic engineering to improve the human lifestyle. Major fields of industry are effected by genetic engineering such as the Medical, Food, Agriculture, and Environmental Industries. For example, in the Medical field, GMOs are involved in the production of insulin which can help with diabetes. In the production of vaccines, a virus’s DNA changes with the addition of extra genetic material, to help cure diseases. Also in Agriculture, by modifying a plants genetic information food yield can increase and herbicide and insect resiliency is improved. These are just a few examples of how GMOs are involved in
Genetic Engineering is essentially altering / adding new DNA into an organism, to provide that organism with more desirable traits. Process - desired gene is isolated with restriction enzymes from organism, and then extracted. The gene then undergoes PCR (polymerase chain reaction) where the gene is sequenced and then copied multiple times, to be re - inserted into the new organism (transgenic). This process is commonly used to provide plants with more desirable traits (e.g. less reliance on water) and can be used just as easily to provide humans with the traits that they themselves desire (e.g. blonde hair and blue eyes). However, medical complications and ethical issues prevent such procedures from occurring, as the theory and practice is still very much in its infancy, and as there is no glass ceiling as such in this particular field of engineering, resulting in countless possibilities that the world may not yet be prepared for.
ECOSYSTEMS: Microbes obtain energy from their environment. Like humans, many microbes do this by eating plant and animal material. A typical microbe buffet consists of waste from humans and other animals, dead plants and animals, and food scraps. Bacteria, fungi and algae all take part in decomposing — or breaking down — this waste material. Without them, the world would quickly be overrun with discarded food scraps, raw sewage and dead organisms.
Bacterial cells, like plant cells, are surrounded by a cell wall. However, bacterial cell walls are made up of polysaccharide chains linked to amino acids, while plant cell walls are made up of cellulose, which contains no amino acids. Many bacteria secrete a slimy capsule around the outside of the cell wall. The capsule provides additional protection for the cell. Many of the bacteria that cause diseases in animals are surrounded by a capsule. The capsule prevents the white blood cells and antibodies from destroying the invading bacterium. Inside the capsule and the cell wall is the cell membrane. In aerobic bacteria, the reactions of cellular respiration take place on fingerlike infoldings of the cell membrane. Ribosomes are scattered throughout the cytoplasm, and the DNA is generally found in the center of the cell. Many bacilli and spirilla have flagella, which are used for locomotion in water. A few types of bacteria that lack flagella move by gliding on a surface. However, the mechanism of this gliding motion is unknown. Most bacteria are aerobic, they require free oxygen to carry on cellular respiration. Some bacteria, called facultatibe anaerobes can live in either the presence or absence of free oxygen. They obtain energy either by aerobic respiration when oxygen is present or by fermentation when oxygen is absent. Still other bacteria cannot live in the presence of oxygen. These are called obligate anaerobes. Such bacteria obtain energy only fermentation. Through fermentation, different groups of bacteria produce a wide variety of organic compounds. Besides ethyl alcohol and lactic acid, bacterial fermentation can produce acetic acid, acetone, butyl alcohol, glycol, butyric acid, propionic acid, and methane, the main component of natural gas. Most bacteria are heterotrophic bacteria are either saprophytes or parasites. Saprophytes feed on the remains of dead plants and animals, and ordinarily do not cause disease. They release digestive enzymes onto the organic matter. The enzymes breakdown the large food molecules into smaller molecules, which are absorbed by the bacterial cells. Parasites live on or in living organisms, and may cause disease. A few types of bacteria are Autotrophic, they can synthesize the organic nutrients they require from inorganic substances. Autotrophic bacteria are either photosynthetic or Chemosynthetic. The photosynthetic bacteria contain chlorophyll that are different from the plant chlorophyll. In bacterial photosynthesis, hydrogen is obtained by the splitting of compounds other than water.
Any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use to benefit the lives of humans or other organisms, in bettering their lives. (Essays, UK. (November 2013). Can Genetic Engineering Be Regarded As Biotechnology Biology?. April 2014, http://www.ukessays.com/essays/biology/can-genetic-engineering-be-regarded-as-biotechnology-biology-essay.php?cref=1)