Discovery of Rice Genome by Monsanto Company.

Biotechnology - Discovery of Rice Genome by Monsanto Company Summary This is a four-page paper on biotechnology. Taking Monsanto Company as a case study, the paper discusses the recent discovery of rice genome. The 21st century provides immense opportunities for an unparallel growth in the field of biotechnology and life sciences. By using the discipline of biology, ever-new ways to produce food, fiber and other valuable consumer products are being developed. The consumer products vary in range from pharmaceuticals, to plastics developed from renewable and environmentally sustainable sources. In the field of agriculture, biotechnology is being used for crop hybridization, mechanization, commercial fertilizers and pesticides that are not only safe, but they benefit agricultural technology. In combination with traditional seed and plant protection technologies, biotechnology is aiding the filed of Integrated Pest Management and Integrated Crop Management. Though all these products and disciplines are the fruits from the developments in biotechnology, determination of their safety or potential risks to human safety, plant and animal health require a close regulation and monitoring from institutions such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The following paper will however

  • Word count: 1253
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Biological Sciences
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The solubilisation and purification of an intrinsic membrane protein presents problems distinct from those encountered in purifying a conventional soluble protein. Discuss this statement.

The solubilisation and purification of an intrinsic membrane protein presents problems distinct from those encountered in purifying a conventional soluble protein. Discuss this statement. Word count: 1860 In order to answer the question, this essay will first describe how soluble proteins are purified. It will then describe the process of solubilising an integral membrane protein specifically, and demonstrate differences between the two processes. There are several methods for the purification of proteins in aqueous solution. Since these methods discriminate based on one characteristic that may be shared by several proteins, it is almost always necessary to use multiple methods to purify a protein from its cellular environment. First, the cell must be homogenised in order to make all the proteins within available. In theory, this presents a problem since proteins are mixed with proteases, and could be degraded. In practice vacuoles form spontaneously and quickly to mitigate this effect so it is not a problem that has to be contended with. After homogenisation, there are several chromatographic methods available to purify proteins completely. Size exclusion chromatography separates proteins based on molecular weight, as smaller proteins are retarded by the resin and so take longer to flow through. Ion exchange chromatography involves charged resin which binds charged amino

  • Word count: 2108
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Biological Sciences
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International Biodiversity Day 2005

[SW1] International Biodiversity Day 2005 Sunday May 22, was the International Day for Biological Diversity. Each year celebrated to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues. Biological Diversity is defined[SW2] as: Life on earth: the variety of all plants, animals and microorganisms. Celebrating the day also marks the signing of the International Convention on Biological Diversity by 150 government leaders at the 1992 Earth Summit (aka the Rio Summit) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, dedicated to promoting sustainable development. Thought as a practical tool for translating the principles of Agenda 21 into reality. The Convention recognises that biological diversity is about more than plants, animals and micro-organisms and their ecosystems. It is also about people and our need for food security, medicines, fresh air and water, shelter, and a clean and healthy environment in which to live. Biodiversity is the source of the essential goods and ecological services that make up the source of life for all. The celebration each year of the International Day for Biological Diversity is an occasion to reflect on our responsibility to safeguard this precious heritage for future generations. Sadly, the earth's biological foundation is eroding at a rate unequalled in at least 65 million years. Globally, species have been disappearing at 50-100 times the natural

  • Word count: 893
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Biological Sciences
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Drugs from the Sea.

Drugs from the Sea Tyler Herrington Chemistry 11 Mr. Tuckwell Oct. 1, 2003 Medicinal drugs are a very important issue to many humans today. They are used to prevent diseases and to cure infected people. Unfortunately, many strands of bacteria are now becoming immune to many of our current vaccines, and we urgently need to find new sources of disease fighting entities. A marine biology based institution, by the name of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, located on the coast of California, in La Jolla, has realized that the ocean has many great opportunities for new medicines; it is just a matter of where we look. A marine biologist, based at this institution, by the name of William Fenical, is the director of marine based vaccine research. His current research could lead to future vaccines for cancer and possibly even today's incurable viruses. He explains that the days of being able to just wander a forest, take a dirt sample, and find a medicinal substance are over. Many of the past medicines, he says, are becoming obsolete. Many marine vaccines are currently in clinical trial and a few look like they could be successful in the near future. Ecteinascidin 743, for example is a marine-based drug, derived from a sea whip, Ecteinascidin turbinata, which has been proven in lab studies to be effective in fighting against human breast cancers and rodent leukemias.

  • Word count: 520
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Biological Sciences
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Macromolecular composition of a liver cell

Macromolecular Composition of the Liver cell Abstract A liver cell is to be homogenised and fractionated into a nuclei rich sediment and a nuclei free supernatant using centrifugation. After treatment with perchloric acid the samples are centrifuged producing supernatants containing glycogen, and these are decanted and stored. The sediments are washed, then treated with KOH and perchloric acid and centrifuged again. This supernatant contains ribonucleotides and it is also stored. The remaining precipitates are suspended in KOH and incubated to ensure it is fully dissolved. The addition of various reagents to each of the supernatants and suspended sediments will allow for an examination of the distribution of RNA, DNA, glycogen and protein, and for an explanation of why this is so. Introduction For supernatants to be produced for examination of this kind, the liver cells must be fractionated to allow specific organelles and molecules to be collected. This is done through homogenisation and differential centrifugation. During homogenisation citric acid is added and in put in a pre-cooled homogeniser; liver is easily broken up. It would be relatively much more difficult to homogenise a plant cell due to the presence of a cell wall, an outer layer that maintains cell shape and is made of cellulose, other polysaccharides and protein (Campbell and Reece, 2005). A centrifuge

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Biological Sciences
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Expanded Analysis of Catastrophic Soil Erosion during the End-Permian Biotic Crisis

Expanded Analysis of Catastrophic Soil Erosion during the End-Permian Biotic Crisis Scientists have come to many conclusions in explaining the mass extinction of the end-Permian era, and Mark Sephton and his geological team have contributed greatly to the understanding and explanation of the cause of the biotic crisis. After doing organic geochemical analyses of organic matter in northern Italy, Sephton et al. have discovered the DNA (polysaccharides) of land based organisms in sedimentary rock dating from the marine Permian-Triassic transition period. It was after studying these polysaccharides Sephton et al. hypothesized that within the Permian-Triassic transition there were volcanic eruptions which caused disruption of atmospheric chemistry, leading to the death of land vegetation which began to collect in excess and which finally resulted in a gigantic soil-erosion into the oceans which killed Permian marine life by hypoxia and anoxia. In Val Badia in northern Italy, Sephton et al. collected sedimentary rock samples dating back to the end-Permian era and ran tests trying to detect any organic-geochemical evidence of terrestrial ecosystem collapse. This was tested by determining if the sediments had been deposited in shallow marine environments which had taken an input of major land-plant debris at anytime. The organic compounds and carbon isotopes compounds were

  • Word count: 1637
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Biological Sciences
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Ribosomes; Structure and function.

Ribosomes; Structure and function 9 April 2003 Carly Brooks Ribosomes are cytoplasmic organelles discovered in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. Found in great abundance up to 10,000 in bacterial cells and many times more in eukaryotic cells, they comprise of proteins and rRNA molecules known as subunits, to form a large ribosomal complex. Both eukaryotic and prokaryotic ribosomes in association with transfer RNA (tRNA), act as a site for mRNA translation, assembling a specific sequence of amino acids into polypeptide chains, once the mRNA joins the two component subunits (large and small) of the ribosome. The tRNA is covalently bonded to an individual amino acid and has a complimentary nucleotide sequence, an anticodon, to each mRNA codon which form base pairs, adding specificity to the selection of the corresponding amino acids. The mRNA is linked by hydrogen bonds to the tRNA and is held in proximity to the amino acid so that a peptide bond is formed, this process occurs again and each amino acid is polymerized into a growing peptide chain. Ribosomes exist in two distinct forms; free and bound and may be positioned in several locations throughout the cell depending on cell function. Free ribosomes can occur individually, a monosome, or in clusters called polyribosomes or polysomes and are found in the

  • Word count: 1383
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Biological Sciences
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The biochemical nature oflight detection and emission

The biochemical nature of light detection and emission In this essay I aim to describe the range of biochemical pathways and mechanisms used by living organisms both to detect and to emit light. I will discuss general principles employed, and illustrate the range of different biochemistry involved by the use of many specific examples. Light Detection I will discuss the mechanism and function of light detection by five groups of light detecting molecule. The biggest of these is the rhodopsin group of proteins, I will also look at the role of phytochromes, cryptochromes, flavoproteins and porphirins in light detection. Rhodopsins are found in a diverse array of organisms, all featuring a retinoid prosthetic group linked to a an apo-protein, opsin via a protonated schiff base linkage. Electrons from the schiff base lone pair occupy an extra orbital (the 'n orbital'), therefore electrons can undergo a n-p* transition as well as a p-p* transition. Retinal proteins were first discovered in 1876 by Bell, who observed a reddish pigment that bleaches on exposure to light, which he called visual purple. Most rhodopsins contain retinal as the prosthetic group, but some have one of the other chromophores as shown below. For example freshwater fish have a rhodopsin containing 3,4-didehydroretinal, which has a red shifted UV absorption band. The opsins found in all organisms

  • Word count: 1750
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Biological Sciences
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Using field and class laboratory data, compare and contrast the base metal nutrient cycles for two contrasting soil ecosystems

Using field and class laboratory data, compare and contrast the base metal nutrient cycles for two contrasting soil ecosystems. Introduction (context of study, background info) 'West Walk' is located in Hampshire, England and is the largest remaining fragment of the 'Forest of Bere' at 350 hectares. Consisting of a wide range of different plant and tree species, it is rich in biodiversity (Fig. 1) which in turn has a direct affect on the types of soils and nutrients in the area and the locations the differences can be found in. Figure 1. 'Biodiversity in West Walk' Soils are complex materials, reflecting the variability of the parent rock material and organic residues from which they form (McBride, 1994, p. 31). Soil is formed due to a combination of the weathering of inorganic material (the material in which McBride, 1994, labelled as the parent rock material or which could also be known as rock or sediment) and the decomposition of organic material (vegetation litter resulting in humus and decay products), a process known as 'Soil Genesis'. 'Soil Organic Matter' consists of all living and dead organisms contained within the soil including for example, remains of plants and animals. Carbon, however, is the main constitute of organic matter accounting for approximately 58% of the total weight and so when measuring the amount of organic material in a soil, carbon is the

  • Word count: 1798
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Biological Sciences
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Investigation Of The Respiratory Chain In Mitochndria. The experiments were carried out to investigate electron transport of the respiratory chain of yeast mitochondria and to examine the effects of different compounds on the chain. This was done using s

Introduction The experiments were carried out to investigate electron transport of the respiratory chain of yeast mitochondria and to examine the effects of different compounds on the chain. This was done using spectrometry and the absorbance spectral properties of a redox dye (DCPIP), which acts as an artificial electron donor/acceptor. Method For safety guidelines, the apparatus and the techniques employed when carrying out the experiment, see the attached, workshop handout. Results Results Table Experiment A Minutes Experiment 1 (Part 2) Absorbance Experiment 1 (Part 3) Absorbance Experiment 1 (Part 4) Absorbance Experiment 1(Part 5) Absorbance 0 0.96 0.95 0.91 0.54 0.5 0.96 0.95 0.895 0.54 0.96 0.95 0.87 0.54 .5 0.96 0.94 0.85 0.54 2 0.96 0.94 0.83 0.54 2.5 0.96 0.94 0.81 0.54 3 0.96 0.94 0.79 0.545 3.5 0.96 0.94 0.77 0.545 4 0.96 0.935 0.76 0.545 4.5 0.96 0.935 0.735 0.545 5 0.96 0.935 0.72 0.55 5.5 0.705 6 0.69 6.5 0.655 7 0.65 7.5 0.64 8 0.625 8.5 0.61 9 0.6 9.5 0.585 0 0.57 0.5 0.56 1 0.55 1.5 0.54 2 0.53 2.5 0.515 3 0.51 3.5 0.49 4 0.48 4.5 0.475 5 0.46 Results Table Experiment B Minutes Experiment B (Part 1) Experiment B (Part 2) Experiment B (Part 3) 0 0.91 0.84 0.75 0.86 0.84 0.61 2 0.81 0.83 0.54 3 0.77 0.825 0.52 4 0.73 0.825 0.515

  • Word count: 1065
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Biological Sciences
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