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Issues in Biotechnology:
The Way We Work With Life
Dr. Albert P. Kausch
life edu.org
OnCampus Live
BCH 190, MIC 190, AFS 190, NRS 190, PLS 190
OnLine BCH 190
A Sweeping General Survey on Life and Biotechnology
A Public Access College Course
The University of Rhode Island
Issues in Biotechnology:
Biotechnology, Our Society and Our Future
Issues in Biotechnology:
The Way We Work With Life
Dr. Albert Kausch
Kimberly Nelson
BCH 190
Section I. The Mechanics of DNA: What is Life
Section II. The Applications of Biotechnology
A Sweeping General Survey on Life and Biotechnology
A Public Access College Course
The University of Rhode Islandlife edu.org
Issues in Biotechnology:
The Way We Work With Life
Dr. Albert Kausch
Kimberly Nelson
BCH 190
The Mechanics of DNA: What is Life?
Introduction and OverviewBiotechnology: Panacea or Pandora’s Box
Setting the Stage: What is Science?
Lectures 1 & 2
life edu.org
Issues in Biotechnology:
The Way We Work With Life
Dr. Albert P. Kausch
life edu.org
The Mechanics of DNA: What is Life?
Setting the Stage: What is Science?
A Sweeping General Survey on Life and Biotechnology
The University of Rhode Island
Setting the Stage: What is Science?
Lectures 2
Issues in Biotechnology
Professor
Dr. Albert P. Kausch, Ph.D.
Department of Cell and Molecular Biology
University of Rhode Island
Office, Lab, and Mailing Address
Food Science and Nutrition Building
530 Liberty Lane, Rm 108
West Kingston, RI 02892
Office Telephone 401-874-7121
Email: [email protected]
Office hours Weds. 12:00- 3:00 pm
Issues in Biotechnology
Course Requirements
Course Syllabus and Description
Schedule of Lectures
Requirements and Deliverables
Office Hours
Issues in Biotechnology
Course Requirements
Texts
Jay Phelen What is Life? A guide to biology. Freeman Press. 2010
Icliker devices will be provided
Course Presentations: Attendance is absolutely mandatory. Your final grade will be
downgraded by half a letter grade for any unexcused absence or missed lecture (or any
part of one class). You will receive a zero for the missed weekly quiz without a makeup. If you must be absent, you MUST notify Dr. Albert Kausch and provide
documentation for your absence. Attendance will be determined using the iclicker
technology and participation in the weekly quizzes. There will be no make up tests or
exams without appropriate and express written permission. Missing class and quizzes
will drastically affect your grade.
Issues in Biotechnology
Course Requirements
Quizzes (weekly) will be taken in class (Live version on Campus) or OnLine (BCH
190 OnLine version) and promptly graded. The quizzes cover: the assigned
reading from the class text focusing on both concepts and vocabulary, and
concepts from the weekly live lecture(s). These quizzes consist of 20 multiple
choice questions and function as a test of general knowledge on the subject.
There are no make-up exams or quizzes without a medical excuse. Many quiz
questions are covered during class (pay attention). In addition, many of the
quiz questions are listed under the lifedu.org website in the Study Guide
Section. Failure to complete a quiz or an exam will result in a zero.
Issues in Biotechnology
Course Requirements
2 Exams are provided and intended to be taken at the mid-term and final and will
cover both class lecture material as well as the class text, up to that date (i.e.
comprehensive). The exams are derived from the quiz questions (save your
quizzes)
Stock Project students will be responsible for a project, due before the end of term,
detailing current market analysis of several publicly traded biotechnology
companies. The idea is to select five biotechnology companies and invest
$100,000 (fictitiously, of course). To do this look up the company and
determine their ticker symbols. Look at the cost per share that the company is
currently trading at and determine the number of shares that you can
purchase, You can spread your money evenly across five companies (i.e.
$20,000 each) or not. For example, if a company is trading at $20/share you
can purchase 1,000 shares for $20, 000. You must choose your companies and
shares. Toward the end of the semester you should look up these same
companies and determine the cost per share at that time. Calculate your
losses or gains for each company and your total losses and gains. This project
will be summarized with a one page written report. This will be described in
Issues in Biotechnology
Are you a:
A. New York Yankees fan
B. Boston Red Sox fan
C. New York Mets fan
D. Some other team
E. I don’t care about baseball
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Issues in Biotechnology
Some course demographics
You are a:
A. Freshman
B. Sophomore
C. Junior
D. Senior
E. Teacher
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Issues in Biotechnology
Are you a:
A. Life sciences major
B. Science major, but not life sciences
C. Non-science major
D. General
E. Undeclared
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Issues in Biotechnology
I know:
A. A lot about biotechnology
B. General information about the basis
of biotechnology
C. What I read in public press
D. Very little actually, only about some
of the arguments
E. Nothing at all
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Issues in Biotechnology
Are you a:
A. Republican
B. Democrat
C. Independent
D. Socialist
E. Other
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Issues in Biotechnology
I consider myself:
A. Religious
B. Somewhat religious
C. Secular
D. Somewhat secular
E. Irrelevant to this course
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Issues in Biotechnology
You are:
A. Pro-choice
B. Pro-life
C. Undecided
D. I don’t care about politics
E. Circumstantial
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What is Life?
What is Life?
When did it start on earth?
Where did it come from?
Biologically, what is it? How does it happen?
How do we understand life from its mechanisms?
What are the philosophical implications?
What is Life?
What are we doing here?
Who are you?
What is consciousness?
Is there really free will?
It it just a biological construct?
What is Life?
Is there intrinsic meaning or is it all merely biologica
What is purpose?
Is there a purpose to the way things develop?
Is there meaning?
And, what about God?
Issues in Biotechnology
I can tell when someone is watching me
from behind:
A. Yes
B. No
C. Sometimes
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Science is a system of hypothesis
making and testing
Is Evidence Based
Do Not Believe what you here only
• What Is Life? A Guide To Biology
• By J. Phelan
This week: Reading Assignment:
CHAPTER 1
Scientific Thinking
What is it? Think Critically
Biotechnology and Society
What should we believe?
Why do you believe what you believe?
Fact n. 1. Something known with certainty. 2. Something
asserted as certain. 3. Something that has been
objectively verified by observation or evidence. 4.
Something having real demonstrable existence.
Belief n. 1. The mental act, condition or habit of placing
trust or confidence in a person or thing; faith. 2.
mental acceptance or conviction in the truth or
actuality of something. 3. Something believed or
accepted as true-see synonyms at opinion
Knowledge: n. 1. The state or fact of knowing. 2.
Familiarity, awareness, or understanding gained
through experience or study. 3. That which is known;
the sum or range of what has been perceived,
discovered or inferred. 4. Learning. 5. Specific
information about something. 6. Carnal knowledge.
Theory, pronunciation: \ˈthē-ə-rē, ˈthir-ē\ , function: noun,
inflected Form(s): plural the·o·ries, etymology: Late Latin theoria,
from Greek theōria, from theōrein
Date: 1592
1 : the analysis of a set of facts in their relation to one another
2 : the general or abstract principles of a body of facts, from
science, or study of an art as in <music theory>
3 : a plausible or scientifically acceptable general principle or
body of principles offered to explain phenomena <the wave
theory of light>
4a : a belief, policy, or procedure proposed or followed as the basis of
action <her method is based on the theory that all children want to
learn> b : an ideal or hypothetical set of facts, principles, or
circumstances —often used in the phrase in theory<in theory, we
have always advocated freedom for all>
5a : a hypothesis assumed for the sake of argument or
investigation b : an unproved assumption : conjecture c : a body
of theorems presenting a concise systematic view of a subject
<theory of equations>
synonyms see hypothesis
What is Science? What is knowledge?
How do we know anything?
Science is a system for knowledge
acquisition conducted by hypothesis
making and testing and reproducible
observations… See the world!
Evidence based knowledge
Beliefs
Truth
Fact
Knowledge
Theory
Do you believe in things you
can’t see?
Atoms
• Elemental units of
which everything is
made
• Atomic Diameters:
one to a few hundred
millionths of an inch
The Periodic Table of Elements
Is the Same Throughout the Universe
Is water required for life?
Is a carbon chemistry
required for life?
How Did Life
on Earth Begin?
How does
life work?
What is Science? What is knowledge?
How do we know anything?
Science is a system for knowledge
acquisition conducted by hypothesis
making and testing and reproducible
observations… See the world!
Evidence based knowledge
Beliefs
Truth
Fact
Knowledge
Theory
We need to look at the mechanics of life
15. Observation of and wonder at the workings of nature
are what initiate “why” and “how” type questions.
Science is a system of:
(A) relying on one’s best intuition, inspiration and
perspiration to solve problems
(B) advertising as a devious enterprise conceived by
entrepreneurial western capitalists to make money from
the ideas of inventive and often eccentric minds
(C) making theories that fit certain beliefs about why
and how things happen
(D) hypothesis making about the mysteries of life
(E) hypothesis making and testing to discern and
validate observable facts generating evidence based
knowledge
16. A chemical unit consisting of negatively charged
electrons orbiting a positively charged nucleus is:
(A) an atom
(B) a eukaryotic cell
(C) a molecule
(D) a ribosome
(E) a unit
17. Which of the following statements best describes the
logic of the scientific method?
(A) If I generate a testable hypothesis, tests and
observations will support it
(B) If my prediction is correct, it will lead to a testable
hypothesis
(C) If my observations are accurate, they will support
my hypothesis
(D) If my hypothesis is correct, I can expect certain test
results
(E) none of these answers are correct
18. Which of the following best distinguishes hypotheses
from theories in science?
(A) Theories are hypotheses that have been proven
(B) Hypotheses are tentative guesses; theories are correct
answers to questions about nature
(C) Hypotheses usually are narrow in scope; theories
have much broader explanatory power
(D) Hypotheses and theories mean essentially the same
thing
(E) none of these answers are correct
,
19. The word Theory is defined as: 1 : the analysis of a
set of facts in their relation to one another
2 : the general or abstract principles of a body of facts,
from science, or study of an art as in <music theory>
3 : a plausible or scientifically acceptable general
principle or body of principles offered to explain
phenomena <the wave theory of light>
Some people say that Evolution is “‘just’ a theory”. Used
in this way, modified by the word just’ indicates that
these people may be confusing with the word theory with
what other word(s)
(A) notion
(B) idea
(C) story
(D) whimsy
(E) any or all of these words
20. Superstitions are:
(A) held by many humans, but not by any non-human
species.
(B) just one of many possible forms of scientific thinking.
(C) true beliefs that have yet to be fully understood.
(D) irrational beliefs that actions not logically related to
a course of events influence its outcome.
(E) proof that the scientific method is not perfect.
21. Empirical results:
(A) rely on intuition.
(B) are generated by theories.
(C) are based on observation.
(D) cannot be replicated.
(E) must support a tested hypothesis.
22. In a well-designed experiment:
(A) the prediction will be highly probable if the
experiment
shows the explanation is correct.
(B) the prediction will be highly improbable if the
experiment
(C) the null hypothesis will not be tested.
(D) the prediction will most likely be correct.
(E) Both (A) and (B) are correct.
23. Which of the following statements is correct?
(A) A hypothesis that does not generate a testable
prediction is
not useful.
(B) Common sense is usually a good substitute for the
scientific method when trying to understand the world.
(C) The scientific method can be used only to understand
scientific phenomena.
(D) It is not necessary to make observations as part of
the
scientific method.
(E) All of the above are correct.
24. The placebo effect:
(A) is the frequently observed, poorly understood
phenomenon that people tend to respond favorably to
any treatment.
(B) reveals that sugar pills are generally as effective as
actual medications in fighting illness.
(C) reveals that experimental treatments cannot be
proven effective.
(D) demonstrates that most scientific studies cannot be
replicated.
(E) is an urban legend.
25. In controlled experiments:
(A) one variable is manipulated while others are held
constant.
(B) all variables are dependent on each other.
(C) all variables are held constant.
(D) all variables are independent of each other.
(E) all critical variables are manipulated.
26. Statistical methods make it possible to:
(A) prove any hypothesis is true.
(B) determine how likely it is that certain results have
occurred by chance.
(C) unambiguously learn the truth.
(D) reject any hypothesis.
(E) test non-falsifiable hypotheses.
27. Anecdotal evidence:
(A) is a more efficient method for understanding the
world than the scientific method.
(B) tends to be more reliable than data based on
observations of large numbers of diverse individuals.
(C) is a necessary part of the scientific method.
(D) is often the only way to prove important causal links
between two phenomena.
(E) can seem to reveal links between two phenomena, but
the links may not actually exist.
28. A relationship between phenomena that has been
established based on large amounts of observational and
experimental data is referred to as:
(A) a theory.
(B) a fact.
(C) an assumption.
(D) a conjecture.
(E) a hypothesis.
29. What is the meaning of the statement “correlation
does not imply causation”?
(A) Just because two variables vary in a similar pattern
does not mean that changing one variable causes a
change in the other.
(B) It is not possible to demonstrate a correlation
between two variables.
(C) When a change in one variable causes a change in
another variable, the two variables are not necessarily
related to each other in any way.
(D) It is not possible to prove the cause of any naturally
occurring phenomenon.
(E) Just because two variables vary in a similar pattern
does not mean that they have any relationship to each
other.
30. The Scientific Method is:
(A) a method that requires certain laws of nature to be
taken on faith.
(B) both a method to gain a body of knowledge and an
intellectual activity encompassing observation,
description, experimentation, and explanation of natural
phenomena.
(C) a process that can be applied only within the
scientific disciplines, such as biology, chemistry, and
physics.
(D) the only way to understand the natural world and a
Higher Power
(E) None of the above.