B6

Question 1

What is organism abundance?

Answer 1

Organism abundance is the population size in an area

Question 2

What is organism distribution?

Answer 2

Organism distribution is where an organism is found in a habitat

Question 3

How can you measure the organism abundance of an area?

Answer 3

To measure the organism abundance of an area you can take a sample and count the individuals in that sample and scale it up for the total area.

Question 4

How can you measure the organism distribution of an area?

Answer 4

To measure the organism distribution of an area you can either take two samples and compare them or you could study distribution changes across an area eg throw quadrats along a transect.

Question 5

Give two examples of active sampling methods and their disadvantages.

Answer 5

• A pooter is a type of active sampling used to collect ground insect through placing them under a tube and sucking them into a jar using another tube with a piece of mesh to stop inhaling insects. Disadvantages include that it is bias and some insects are too big.
• Sweep nets and pond nets are types of active sampling used to collect airborne and waterborne insects by sweeping left to right along an area and emptying into a white tray/ container. Disadvantages include it is bias and insects may move away from the area.

Question 6

Give an example of passive sampling.

Answer 6

A pitfall trap is an example of passive sampling where a small jar is buried into the ground and covered lightly with rocks/ leaves and small insects/ amphibians/reptiles fall in. Many can be placed in different areas to compare results. Disadvantages include that larger insects could eat the smaller insects in the container.

Question 7

How can you take a random sample of an area?

Answer 7

To take some random sample of an area you should

1) Throw a quadrant randomly into your sample area
2) Then count the number of plants/organisms you want to sample that are inside the quadrat
3) Repeat this process a number of times to get a result that represents the entire population
4) Calculate a mean to find the mean area of organisms/ plants per m2
5) could repeat with a second sample area to compare your results

Question 8

How can we use random sampling to estimate population size?

Answer 8

To estimate population size

1) Throw a quadrant randomly into the habitat
2) Count the number of organisms your interested in inside the quadrat
3) repeat a number of times
4) Calculate a mean per m2
5) multiply by the total area of the habitat to estimate population size

Question 9

How can we estimate population size using capture - recapture?

Answer 9

To estimate population size using capture recapture you must
1) captures a sample of the population
2) mark the animals in a harmless way
3) release them back into the environment
4) recapture another sample
5) count those previously marked
6) use the equation:
Number in first sample x number on second sample / those in second sample marked

Question 10

What assumptions do we make when using capture-recapture

Answer 10

We assume that

• The population hasn’t changed between samples (no births or deaths)
• The markings haven’t effected the individuals chance of survival (make it more visible to predators)

Question 11

What is a transect?

Answer 11

A transect is a line along which one counts and records the occurrence of species to measure distribution

Question 12

How can we measure distribution using a belt transect?

Answer 12

To measure distribution using badly transect;

1) Mark out the transect using a tape measure
2) place a quadrat at the start of the transect and record the organisms you find within it. You may want to count the percentage cover of each organisms by counting the smaller squares it fills within the transect
3) move the quadrat along the transect at regular intervals and repeat
4) you could plot the results on a kite diagram

Question 13

What is an abiotic factor?

Answer 13

An abiotic factor is a non living thing that influences an ecosystem

Question 14

Give some examples of abiotic factors and how they can be measured

Answer 14

1) temperature- using a thermometer
2) light intensity- using a light sensor
3) moisture levels- using a soil water meter
4) soil pH- first add water to the soil and then either use an indicator and compared the colour pH chart or use a pH probe

Question 15

What is a biotic factor?

Answer 15

A biotic factor is a living thing that influences an ecosystem

Question 16

Give some examples of biotic factors

Answer 16

1) food availability
2) number of predators
3) competition

Question 17

Which are the four main human activities which reduce biodiversity by reducing the land and resources available to plants and animals

Answer 17

1) building
2) farming
3) quarrying
4) dumping waste

Question 18

How does habitat destruction impact the environment and give two examples of this

Answer 18

Habitat destruction reduces plant and animal biodiversity by destroying ecosystems and habitats leading to extinction
Eg
- Woodland clearance (deforestation)
- monoculture

Question 19

How does waste effect the environment and give six examples of types of waste

Answer 19

Waste impacts the environment by causing pollution which can kill plants and animals reducing biodiversity e.g.

1) toxic chemicals from farming
2) landfill from household waste
3) buried nuclear waste
4) smoke and gases
5) toxic chemicals from industry
6) sewage

Question 20

How does hunting effect the environment

Answer 20

Hunting rafts the environment by causing species of animals to become endangered and extinct which negatively effect s food chains and other species

Question 21

How can we protect biodiversity? Give 5 things humans do to protect biodiversity and examples of this

Answer 21

1) protect habitats (eg controlling water levels in wetlands/ coppicing to conserve woodlands)
2) Controlling/ preventing harmful species (eg controlling grey squirrels who compete with the native red squirrel)
3) creating protected areas (eg nature reserves and national parks)
4) Creating protected areas away from habitats (eg seed banks, botanical gardens and zoos)
5) Ecotourism (eg the Eden project)

Question 22

How can/ does maintaining biodiversity benefit humans? Give 4 things

Answer 22

Maintaining biodiversity;

1) Protects human food supply
2) protects food chains
3) provides future medicines
4) provides industrial materials and fuels

Question 23

Give three challenges faced when maintaining biodiversity

Answer 23

1) it requires many countries to work together and some aren’t willing to sign the agreement
2) local schemes can be objected by residents particularly if they affect their livelihood (eg fishing quotas)
3) it’s difficult to monitor whether a scheme is working or being used properly

Question 24

Which three environmental changes will effect organism distribution? And give an example for each

Answer 24

1) atmospheric gases eg lichen can’t grow where sulfur dioxide is in the air
2) water availability eg giant wildebeest migrate according to rainfall patterns
3) temperature eg global warming can change migration patterns as the north gets warmer animals may migrate further

Question 25

How will global warming reduce biodiversity?

Answer 25

Global warming may cause species adapted to cold climates become extinct reusing biodiversity

Question 26

Give the definition of food security

Answer 26

Food security is the state of having reliable access to a sufficient quantity of nutritious food

Question 27

Which factors affect food security levels?

Answer 27

1) Changing diets (eg more meats) 2) Sustainability of farming methods 3) environmental change (eg global warming) 4) cost of agricultural inputs (fuel, animal feed, pesticides) 5) New pests and pathogens

Question 28

How do farmers use pest control to increase agricultural yields?

Answer 28

PESTICIDES- farmers spray chemicals called pesticides on their plants to harm a pest. Herbicides kill weeds, insecticides kill insects and fungicides kill fungi. Problem with pesticides is that the levels must be kept low as many pesticides are poisonous to humans BIOLOGICAL CONTROL- farmers also use biological control to control pests by introducing predators/ parasites/ disease carrying organisms to reduce the number of pests. However the problem is sometimes the organism introduced can behave unexpectedly and become pests themselves

Question 29

What are fertilisers and how are they used to increase agricultural yields?

Answer 29

Fertilisers contain nutrients plants need such as nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus which replaces or provides more to the soil boosting plant growth and crop yield Problems with fertilisers are excess fertiliser can run off into rivers etc and damage other organisms

Question 30

What is hydroponics and how is it used to increase crop yield?

Answer 30

Hydroponics is a method of growing plants in solution of water and fertilisers to measure exact nutrient levels to get maximum yield. This also controls pests and diseases. However this is very expensive and disease spreads quickly if it does get in.

Question 31

What is genetic modification and how can it be used to increase crop yields

Answer 31

Genetic modification is transferring useful jeans into plants such as insect resistant, virus resistance, herbicide resistance and increase crop yields genes .

Question 32

How can genomess be used to increase agricultural yield ?

Answer 32

By identifying which plants have useful genes in their Genome we can use these plants are selective breeding to increase agricultural yields.

Question 33

What is selective breeding ?

Answer 33

Selective breeding otherwise known as artificial selection is the process in which humans sexually reproduce animals were desired traits.

Question 34

Give three examples of features animals plants may be selectively bred for

Answer 34

- Maximum yield (meat,milk, grain e.t.c) - disease resistance - fertility - speed - attractiveness - nice smell

Question 35

Explain the basic process involved in selective breeding/artificial selection

Answer 35

1) parent organisms with desired characteristics/traits are chosen 2) the parent organisms and then bred 3) the offspring showing the desired traits/characteristics are chosen and bred 4) the process is repeated over several generations to develop the desired traits

Question 36

What is the main problem with selective breeding and what problems can this lead to?

Answer 36

The main problem with selective breeding is that it reduces the gene pool – the number of different alleles in a population because the farmer in breeds those with the desired alleles which are all closely related . Problems include - There is an increased chance that the organism will develop a harmful genetic disorder - even near disease appears because there's not much variation it is likely to wipe out the population.

Question 37

What is a vector ?

Answer 37

A vector is a thing used to transfer DNA into a cell for example plasmid/virus

Question 38

What is genetic engineering ?

Answer 38

Genetic engineering is the process of moving jeans with desirable characteristics from one organism to another

Question 39

Explain the process of genetic engineering

Answer 39

1) the desired gene is identified 2) restriction enzymes recognise the specific sequence of DNA and The DNA of these points to isolate the gene and create sticky ends 3) the restriction enzymes then cut the plasmid to open it creating sticky and a complimentary to sticky ends of the gene 4) the plasmid in the DNA are mixed together with a ligase enzyme which joins the sticky ends together 5) plasmid vector is now inserted into the host . The house else I have successfully received the desired gene are selected

Question 40

How do scientists tell that the host cells have received the desired gene during genetic engineering?

Answer 40

Scientist can tell that the host cell has received the desired gene during genetic engineering through: 2) inserting a marker gene that codes for antibiotic resistance into the vector at the same time as the desired gene 3) then the house is grown in a plate containing antibiotics and only those with the market gene are able to survive and reproduce

Question 41

Which bacterium is used when genetically modifying agriculture ? and how is it used ?

Answer 41

A bacterium called Agrobacterium tumefaciens is used when genetically modifying agriculture . 1) first the Agrobacterium tumefaciens is genetically modified to include the desired gene 2) it is then allowed to infect the cells of the target plant it inserts is genes into the plants DNA

Question 42

Give an example of where genetic engineering was used to increase crop yields through pest resistance What are the problems with this?

Answer 42

Bacillus thruingiensis is a bacterium that produces toxin that kills many insects Lavae harmful to crops. Scientists have genetically modified crops to include the bacillus thruingiensis toxin gene to make it resistant to pests which will mean farmers can use less pesticides There's a danger insects might develop resistance to the toxin.

Question 43

Give an example of where genetic engineering was used to the combat deficiency diseases

Answer 43

People in areas that rely heavily on rice of and have a vitamin a deficiency. Scientists have genetically engineered rice plants to contain the gene in carrot plants that produces Beta- Carotene which is needed by humans to make vitamin a .

Question 44

Give three risks of genetic engineering?

Answer 44

1) transplanted genes could get out into other species on the environment 2) long term effect on him an health aren't known 3) could decrease biodiversity

Question 45

What are the ethical issues with genetic engineering

Answer 45

People worried we might move to genetically engineering children which could create genetic and a class of those who can't afford genetic engineering.

Question 46

Definition of the disease

Answer 46

disease is a condition that impairs normal functioning of an organism

Question 47

Name the three causes of a disease

Answer 47

1) infection by a pathogen 2) mutation in genes 3) effect from environment

Question 48

Name four types of pathogens

Answer 48

bacteria, viruses, protists and fungi

Question 49

Definition of a communicable disease

Answer 49

A communicable disease is a disease caused by pathogen infecting the organism that can spread between organisms

Question 50

Definition of a non-communicable disease

Answer 50

A non-communicable disease disease that cannot be passed from one organism to another

Question 51

Explain interaction between HIV and tuberculosis

Answer 51

HIV stops the immune system from working properly . So how HIV stops the bacteria that causes tuberculosis from being destroyed before symptoms of the disease can spread as would normally . So therefore people with HIV are more likely to show symptoms of tuberculosis and it is harder to recover from

Question 52

Explain interactions between HPV and cervical cancer

Answer 52

HPV is a virus that invest the reproductive system . Rarely this causes cell changes. Cell changes lead to cervical cancer . It is thought nearly all cases of cervical cancer result HPV .

Question 53

Definition of the pathogen

Answer 53

pathogens are microbes that can cause communicable diseases

Question 54

Definition of bacteria

Answer 54

bacteria a very small cells reproduce rapidly and produced toxins that damage cells and tissues

Question 55

Definition of virus

Answer 55

viruses are not cells that replicate themselves inside the infecting organism cells which then bursts and release the virus

Question 56

Definition of a protist

Answer 56

protst is eukaryotic single celled parasite ( live of the host and damages it)

Question 57

Definition of fungi

Answer 57

fungi are either single celled organisms or have a body made up of threadlike structures called hyphae. Which penetrate human skin/ plant surface to cause disease

Question 58

Name the seven ways communicable diseases are spread and an example of each (hint – why are chocolate bunnies ate so fast )

Answer 58

– water – e.g. cholera is spread through water containing the diarrhoea of other sufferers – soil – e.g. Agrobacterium tumefaciens expressed through contaminated soil – body fluids – e.g. HIV is spread through body fluids such as blood semen breastmilk – air – e.g. erysiphe graminis is a fungus carried in the air that causes barley powdery mildew – animal vectors – e.g. malaria is caused by a protest inside a mosquito vector – food – e.g. Salmonella is found in raw meat – contact – e.g. tobacco mosaic disease is a virus spread when infected leaves rub against healthy leaves

Question 59

Give for social/economic factors that affect communicable diseases

Answer 59

– Crowded living conditions (increases spread) – Poor diet (Immune system weekend) – limited access to healthcare (to get a diagnosis and effective treatment) – education (to take precautions to avoid catching)

Question 60

Give five things that can be done to prevent the spread of disease in humans

Answer 60

1) hygiene (e.g. washing hands) 2) destroying vectors (e.g. destroying insect insecticides ) 3) isolating infected individuals 4) vaccinations 5) early detection and treatment of diseases

Question 61

Define things that can be done to prevent the spread of disease in plants

Answer 61

1) regulating movement of plant material ( to make sure infected plants don't contact healthy plants) 2) destroying infected plants 3) crop rotation (stops pathogen specific to a plant becoming established in the area) 4) chemical control (e.g. fungicides) 5) biological control (e.g. digging roots in a bacterium that produce antibiotics)

Question 62

Give two ways that plant diseases can be detected in the field

Answer 62

1) observations (e.g. growths indicate crown gall disease, mottling indictaes tobacco mosaic disease) 2) microscopes (e.g. distinguish between types of fungi)

Question 63

Give two ways plant disease can be detected in the lab

Answer 63

1) ELISA | 2) PCR

Question 64

Give three physical plant defences

Answer 64

1) cellulose cell wall – makes it difficult for microorganisms such as bacteria to penetrate 2) waxy cuticle – makes it difficult to microorganisms to penetrate a water proof to reduce pathogens transferring in water 3) callose – a substance deposited between the cell membrane and cell wall to reinforce it in response to a pathogen penetrating the cell wall

Question 65

Give two chemical plant defences

Answer 65

1) antimicrobial chemicals – can be released to kill/inhibit the growth of pathogens (e.g. mint plants produce witch hazel) 2) poisons – deter herbivores from grazing on the plants

Question 66

How does the skin act as a non-specific defence system ?

Answer 66

Skin acts as a barrier to pathogens and secrete antimicrobial substances which kill pathogens

Question 67

How does the nose act as an non-specific defence system ?

Answer 67

Nose and respiratory tract is lined with mucus and cillia which waft mucus and particles up to the back of the throat to be swallowed

Question 68

How does the stomach act as a non-specific defence system ?

Answer 68

Stomach contains hydrochloric acid which kills pathogens

Question 69

How did the eyes act as a non-specific defence system?

Answer 69

The eyes produce an enzyme called lysozyme interiors which break down bacteria on the surface of the eye .

Question 70

How does blood clots act as a non-specific defence system ?

Answer 70

When you damage a blood vessel players come together to form a plan to stop losing too much blood and prevent microorganisms from entering the wound . Fibrinogen proteins form fibrin fibres in the clot to hold platelets together which develops into a scab .

Question 71

How does the immune system produce antibodies and how does this fight pathogens?

Answer 71

1) every invading pathogen has a unique antigens on the surface 2) when a b – lymphocyte white blood cell finds a foreign antigen they will start producing specific proteins called antibodies which lock onto the pathogens 3) the antibodies also help the phagocytes find and ingest pathogens 4) white blood cells called memory cells remain in the blood – the person is immune to the pathogen

Question 72

Explain how the immune system Combats pathogens using phagocytosis

Answer 72

Specific white blood cells called phagocytes have flexible membrane which can ingest pathogens. Enzymes inside the cell then destroy the pathogen.

Question 73

Explain how the immune system creates antitoxins and how they help combat pathogens

Answer 73

Some bacteria produce toxins which make us feel unwell, white blood cells produced antitoxins which state to to toxin molecules from damaging cells.

Question 74

Why are vaccinations used ?

Answer 74

Vaccinations are used because of some pathogens they can take your white blood cells awhile to produce the antibodies by which time you could become very ill or die .

Question 75

How do Vaccinations work ?

Answer 75

1) dead/inactive/weak pathogens injected into the body . 2) There antigens trigger an immune response and your white blood cells produce antibodies. 3) Some of the white blood cells remain in the blood is memory cells for the pathogen appears again the antibodies would be produced immediately and the person will not become ill

Question 76

What are antibiotics ?

Answer 76

Antibiotics are drugs that kill bacteria without killing body cells . Many are produced naturally by microbes such as fungi and grown on a large-scale . Overprescribing or not finishing a course of antibiotics increases the rate of development of resistant strains (e.g. MRSA)

Question 77

What are antivirals?

Answer 77

Antivirals stop viruses reproducing however it's difficult to produce antivirals of viruses use host cells so it's hard to target virus without damaging the cell .

Question 78

What are antiseptics?

Answer 78

Antiseptics or chemicals that destroy or stop microorganisms growing to prevent infection . They used outside the body and hospitals and households to clean wounds and surfaces.

Question 79

Describe an experiment to test the effectiveness of antimicrobials

Answer 79

1) all equipment should be sterilized and autoclave and worksurfaces disinfected. 2) Pour hot, sterile agar jelly into the sterile petri dish. 3) Sterilize and innoculating loop bypassing it through the flames. 4) Transferred microorganisms onto the dish near a Bunsen flame. 5) Take your discs of filterpaper and soak them in antimicrobials you want to test and place them in dish with sterile forceps. 6) Soak the final disc in sterile water and place in the dish as a control . 7) Attach a lid using strips of type and placed upside down in an incubator for 48 hours at 25°C (this prevents harmful bacteria growing). 8) Around each disk calculate the area of the zone of inhibition to measure the effectiveness of antimicrobials using pie times the radius squared

Question 80

Definition of a monoclonal antibody

Answer 80

monoclonal antibody is an antibody produced by clones of a single cell the only targets one specific antigen

Question 81

Explain the process in making monoclonal antibodies

Answer 81

1) antibodies are produced by B – lymphocyte blood cells in response to detecting a foreign antigen . 2) A mouse is injected with the antigen that we want to make monoclonal antibodies against. 3) The B – lymphocytes that produced the antibodies are taken from the mouse 4) B – lymphocytes will not multiply by mitosis so it is fused with the tumour cells which will divide by mitosis to create a hybridoma . 5) We then allow the hybridoma to produce clones through mitosis the hybridoma clones produces identical antibodies or monoclonal antibodies. 6) The monoclonal antibodies can then be collected and purified

Question 82

What is HCG?

Answer 82

HCG is a pregnancy hormone used to prevent the inner lining of the uterus from shedding

Question 83

How can antibodies be used in pregnancy testing?

Answer 83

1) the woman urinates on the exposed end of the stick 2) the fluid travel up the absorbent fibres until it reaches the reaction zone 3) in the reaction zone there are monoclonal antibodies tagged with a blue bead which are specific to HCG hormones. They will bind to each other here 4) the urine moves up the strip carrying the HCG antibody complex to the test zone 5) at the test zone there are more monoclonal antibodies which bind to the other end of the HCG complex 6) this formation triggers the blue beads to produce dye molecules to produce a visual result 7) the urine finally travels to the control zone where more HGC specific antibodies are present to attach to any remaining HCG to ensure an accurate result

Question 84

Why don’t white blood cells target cancer cells?

Answer 84

White blood cells don’t target cancer cells because their antigens in their cell membranes (tumour markers) are produced by the body so they aren’t classified as foreign

Question 85

How can scientists diagnose cancer using monoclonal antibodies?

Answer 85

1) monoclonal antibodies specific to the cancer cells tumour markers and produced in the lab 2) they are then tagged with a radioactive element 3) they are then put into the patients blood using a drip 4) when they come into contact with a cancer cell they bind with the tumour markers 5) then a picture of the patient is taken with a camera that detects radioactivity which means the cancer cells will show up as a bright spot

Question 86

How can monoclonal antibodies be used to treat cancer?

Answer 86

1) monoclonal antibodies specific to cancer tumour cells markers are made in the lab 2) the antibodies are attached to an anti cancer drug (toxic drug/ radioactive substance) 3) They are put into the patients blood using a drip 4) the antibodies bind to the tumour markers where the anti cancer drug will kill the cancer cell

Question 87

What are non communicable diseases caused by?

Answer 87

Non communicable diseases are caused be several different risk factors interacting

Question 88

What are the three risk factors for diseases ?

Answer 88

1) lifestyle 2) Environment 3) Genetic predisposition (inheriting mutated alleles)

Question 89

How can exercise increase the risk of a non communicable disease?

Answer 89

A lack of exercise increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases due to an increased blood pressure and obesity due to increased body fat

Question 90

How can diet increase your risk of cardiovascular diseases?

Answer 90

Eating too much can lead to obesity which is linked to type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, CVD and some cancers Eating too much saturated fat can increase blood cholesterol levels which can cause fatty deposits on the inside of the arteries which can lead to coronary heart disease Eating too little leads to malnutrition which can slow growth, fatigue, irregular periods and deficiency diseases

Question 91

How can alcohol increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases?

Answer 91

Alcohol is poisonous and too much alcohol can kill liver cells forming scar tissue causing cirrhosis (stopping blood reaching the liver), increasing blood pressure and damage DNA which can lead to cancer

Question 92

How can smoking increase your risk of cardiovascular disease?

Answer 92

Carbon monoxide reduces the oxygen carrying capacity in the blood which can lead to heart attacks Nicotine increases heart rate which can lead to CVD Tar contains carcinogens which make mutations in the DNA increasing the risk of cancer Smoke can cause inflammation of the lining of the bronchi and bronchioles causing lung disease Smoking when organ causes problems for the unborn baby

Question 93

What is coronary heart disease?

Answer 93

High blood pressure and LDL cholesterol can lead to the build up of fatty deposits inside arteries which narrows them. Over time they harden forming atheromas which restrict blood slow to the heart this can result in heart attacks or strokes

Question 94

How can altering lifestyles help to treat cardiovascular diseases?

Answer 94

Having a healthy diet, lowering saturated fat and stopping smoking can help treat cardiovascular diseases

Question 95

How can drugs help treat CVD ‘s ? What are the negative side effects of each of these?

Answer 95

Statins- reduces cholesterol which slows the rate of fatty deposits forming. Negative side effects include kidney failure, liver damage and memory problems. Anticoagulants- make blood clots less likely to form. Negative side effects include excessive bleeding Anti hypertensives- reduces blood pressure which reduces the risk of atheromas and blood clots forming. Negative side effects include headaches and fainting.

Question 96

How can surgical procedures help treat CVD’s what are the negative side effects of this?

Answer 96

Stents- tunes that are inserted into the arteries which keeps them open lowering the risk of heart attack in people who have coronary heart disease. Negative side effects include scar tissues being caused by stents irritating arteries Coronary bypass surgery (ask) Heart surgery- the whole heart can be replaced by a donor heart. Patient must take drugs to avoid rejection which have negative side effects such as making you more vulnerable to infection

Question 97

How are bone marrow stem cells used to cure leukaemia?

Answer 97

1) the patients existing bone marrow is destroyed using radiation 2) they then revive a transplant of bone marrow from a donor 3) the bone marrow contains stem cells which divide to form new bone marrow and differentiate to form healthy blood cells

Question 98

How can embryonic stem cells be used in the future?

Answer 98

Embryonic stem cells can be used to replace faulty stem cells to cure eg paralysis

Question 99

What are the ethical issues with stem cell research?

Answer 99

Some people think it is unethical to use embryos in stem cell research as each one is a potential human life. Others think curing patients who exist are more important

Question 100

What is the human genome project?

Answer 100

The human genome project was a 13 year project that identified all 25000 genes in human DNA

Question 101

What are the advantages of genome research?

Answer 101

1) predict and prevent diseases- common diseases are a result of interactions between genes and the environment. If doctors can identify a gene that predisposes a disease the patient can make choices to reduce the risk 2) develop new medicines- scientists can use information about genes to develop new medicines able to target the diesel at a molecular level 3) Designing new drugs- some gene variations make drugs less effective so doctors could use your genome to tailor drugs

Question 102

What are the risks of genome research?

Answer 102

1) increased stress- knowing you’re susceptible to a disease at a young age can be worrying 2) geneism- people with genetic problems could be pressured into not having children 3) discrimination employers / insurers- may not give life insurance/ jobs if your likely to get a disease 4) unfair health system - tailored drugs will be expensive which could lead to a two tiered health system 5) practical risks- we don’t know the effects on future generations