Unit 8 Biotechnology,What is biotechnology? What fields do biotechnology apply in?,Task 1: identify the following practical applications of biotechnology A. Genetically modified, or GM foods are predicted to be pest resistant, herbicide tolerant, disease resistant, cold tolerant, drought tolerant/salinity tolerant and more nutritious.,GM foods,B. It is said that RNA interference, a new type of gene therapy, can heal a genetic disorder in a live animal. C. In the future, cars will run on Bioethanol, which is produced from agricultural crops, sugar cane or bio-mass.,Gene therapy,Biofuels,D. Replacement or implant materials that imitate living tissues or organs, so-called biomaterial, are commonly used as surgical tapes, adhesives, skin implant. E. Biological weapons may serve limited purpose as a battlefield weapon. They allow for the potential to create a staggering level of destruction and loss of life. As such, they can act as a strategic deterrent.,Biomaterial,Military,F. Bioremediation refers to the productive use of micro-organisms to remove or detoxify pollutants, usually as contaminants of soils, water or sediments that otherwise threaten public health.,Environment,Task 2: Listening Comprehension,American farmers first planted genetically engineered crops in nineteen ninety-six. Today eighty percent of the cropland for soybeans, maize and cotton in the United States is transgenic. Genetic engineering adds or changes genes in a plant to produce desired qualities. The United States is one of twenty-five countries where farmers planted genetically engineered crops in two thousand nine. An agricultural biotechnology group says planting decreased in Europe. But the amount of cropland planted with the crops rose by an estimated seven percent worldwide.,The National Research Council, part of the National Academies in Washington, recently published a study. The study examined how genetically engineered crops have affected farming in the United States. It found that many farmers have better harvests, better weed control and fewer losses from insect damage compared to traditional crops. LaReesa Wolfenbarger is a University of Nebraska biology professor and a member of the committee that wrote the report. She says they found that genetically engineered crops can be better for the environment.,Genetic technology and its applications,agriculture,genetic detection,medicine,孟德尔定律,biology,