Unit 6 Reflection

The beginning of this unit was about biotechnology, which is the study and manipulation of living things to benefit mankind, and it generally focuses on DNA, proteins, and inheritance. We also learned about the four applications of biotechnology which are industrial and environmental, medical/pharmaceutical, diagnostic research, and agricultural. Examples of the applications are fermentation(industrial and environmental), gene therapy(medical/pharmaceutical), transgenic organisms and classical breeding(agricultural), and genetic testing(diagnostic). Next, we learned about the technologies of biotechnology which are the Polymerase Chain Reaction(PCR), which is a procedure to amplify a specific DNA region, and Gel Electrophoresis which uses electricity to separate DNA fragments based on their sizes. After we learned about recombinant DNA technology which is inserting the DNA of one organism into the DNA of another organism. Finally we learned about bioethics, which is the study of decision-making as it applies to moral decisions that are made because of the advances in biology, technology, and medicine. 

When we first learned about recombinant DNA I didn't understand the functions and what the recombinant DNA was until we went over it in class. I think that overall I understand more than when I first learned about the topics because we got to discuss about them during class. During this unit we did two labs which were the pGLO Lab and the Candy Electrophoresis Lab. From these experiences I learned about how people would tend to use articificial coloring and other things in order to make their product seem better, even though it may not be good for you compared to something that is made from natural products. I also learned about other applications for genetic engineering and what pGLO is used for currently. One thing that I would want to learn more about would be about why certain products are genetically modified. Currently I have improved in one of my goals, which was improving on my studying habits. The next things that I want to do is continue to improve on participating in my classes and spend more time studying than I am now.