DNA technology
Read“ https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/15/science/the-hunger-games-mockingjay-fiction-for-now.html?_r=2&ref=science“ by author James Gorman which will introduce you to the idea of DIY biology. After reading it proceed with the activities below.
Part 1: Using your understanding of DNA technology, summarize changes that would need to take place in order to create organisms such as the Jabberjay and mockingjay. It is not necessary for you to identify actual individual pieces of DNA, genes, or proteins that would have been altered to make mockingjays and Jabberjays. However you should discuss techniques that would have been required, such as transformations, cloning, etc… in order to create a Jabberyjay. You should explain how DNA technology could be used to make a Jabberjay then what would be needed to generate a Mockingjay. Some questions that you might consider in this section include: Would you need multiple generations to get a pure mockingjay or could this happen in a single generation? How closely would Jabberjays and Mockingbirds need to be related in order to allow crossbreeding? Consider researching the idea of ‘hybrid vigor’ to explain how/why Mockingjays survived.
Part 2: Conduct further research into the idea of DIY biology and genetic engineering. Briefly summarize your findings and provide a specific bioengineering example. A few internet searches on “DIY biology” should provide you with lots of material to address this section. Make sure that you discuss the general idea as well as a specific example of a DIY biology project that has been successful.
Part 3: State your opinion of the DIYbio movement, genetic engineering, and/or the rise of genetic information to determine ancestry or to be included in medical records. You do not have to discuss all of these. Just select one or two issues that you can research and discuss. Consider beginning your answer by discussing whether government regulation or publishing restrictions should be put into place. Why or why not? Provide specific evidence and a logical argument to support your opinion. Simply stating you ‘feel’ or ‘believe’ something is insufficient justification. Your position should include an accurate representation of the state of DNA technology (i.e. you should not base your arguments on outdated techniques) You should discuss both benefits and risks associated with the DIYbio movement, genetic engineering, and/or genetic sciences.
This is your chance to provide your well-formulated and supported opinion on the issues surrounding modern biology techniques. Overall your assignment should demonstrate that you understand the basic biological concepts and can integrate those concepts with other considerations/perspectives. As noted in the assignment, you need to provide specific support for your opinion. You cannot just say “I think it’s a bad idea”. If you think it is a bad idea and should be strongly regulated, provide evidence that illustrates why. Consider looking for a DIY biology project that escaped into the wild, or simply talk about hybrid vigor and invasive species. If you think it is a good idea and should not be regulated, provide evidence to support this. Perhaps you can find examples of some key information provided by a DIY-er. Or use examples from other disciplines outside biology (for either argument). Remember: be logical! And include your references!