STS-Module-4-5-6-7.docx

MODULE 4 – THE INFORMATION AGE
Objectives:
At the end of this lesson, the learner should be able to:
1. trace the development of Information Age
2. learn how technology functions
3. appreciate its influence as people's lives.
Introduction
The Information Age is considered a historic period in the 21st century. Characterized by the rapid
shift from traditional industry, it is also called computer age, digital and the new media age. It is marked by
a very fast growth in communication and information technology. This age holds a significant influence as
educators and learners.
The invention of the computer which gave people access to information with the touch of a button.
The internet has tuned society into homebodies and individuals who do everything from the comfort of their
homes. People do their tasks only such as shopping, paving bills, working, education, entertainment and
ordering food.
Historical Development
The information age also referred to as Computer Ages and New Media Age is a historic period in
the 21st Century characterized by the rapid shift from traditional industry.
It began around the 1970s and still going on today. This era brought about a time which people could
access information and knowledge easily. As in the field of literature, the renaissance influenced this age by
creating the idea inventions that led to modern ones.
Information Age also referred to people, information and societies that chronicle the birth and growth
of electronic information from ancient times to Samuel Morse's invention of the telegraph in the 1890s
through the development of the telephone, radio, television and computers.
(http://www.tcf.va.edu/az/thistory.outline.htm).
There are four periods of the Information Age, namely:
• Pre-Mechanical - 3,000 BC 1450 A.D.
• Mechanical - 1450-1840
• Electro-Mechanical - 1840-1940
• Electronic/Information-1940-present
Some pioneers who belonged to these periods were Blaire Pascal, Alexander Graham Bell, Steven
Wozmak, Steven Jobs, Bill Gates.
Personal computers had become widespread by the end of the 1980s. They can be connected to local
or national networks. Through a device called the modern, individual users could list their computers to a
wealth of information using conventional phone lines.
The internet was developed during the 1970s. In the early days, it was used mainly by scientists to
communicate with other scientists. At this time, the internet users problem was speed. The development of
the fiber-optic hastened the rate of sending message.
In the 1990s, the world wide web was developed mainly for commercial purposes. New services were
created to sell products. Now, airline tickets, hotel reservations, books and even cars and houses can be
purchased online. Colleges and universities would post research data on the internet so students could find
valuable information without leaving their homes.
Claide Shannon is regarded as the Father of the Information Age.
Living in the Information Age Effects/Impact
Technology is increasingly playing a crucial role in the success of organizations particularly in school
in this Information Age. The impact of IT has been enormous on various domains including education.
Computers and the information they process and store have transformed every aspect of the society.

Since we live in the Information Age, IT has become a part of our everyday lives. There have been
tremendous changes in the ways people live work and play over the past three decades
(hitechplatform.blogspot.com/2011/04/most-important-effect-ofinformation.html) IT is composed of
computer, networks, mobile and wireless devices, satellite communications, robotics, videotext, cable
television, electronic mail (e-mail), electronic gadget and automated office equipment. Technological
innovation and entrepreneurship have been the key players in the changes that we experience.
Every day, we use technology in new ways. Computers are becoming increasingly affordable and
they continue to be more powerful as information processing tools. Some of the advantages of Information
Technology are:
1. Globalization - It has brought the world closer together, led to sharing information more
quickly and efficiently and enabled countries to share ideas and information with each other.
2. Communication - It has made communication cheaper, quicker and more efficient. The use of
the internet opened face-to-face communication from different parts of the world.
3. Cost effectiveness - it has led to computerization of business processes and increased
productivity that gave more profits, better pay and working conditions.
4. Creation of new jobs - It has led to the opening up of opportunity for computer programmers,
system analysts, hardware and software developers and web designers.
The Information Age has introduced changes in the on Age has introduced changes in the different
aspects of people's lives, because of the following:
1) emergence of online companies
2) creation of economically and stimulating businesses
3) more mature and educated people
4) reshaping governments with new technologies
(https//history_of_technology.if.weebly.com)
ASSESSMENT TASKS ACTIVITY # 1
Read the selection entitled “The Effects of Using the Facebook” them present the positive and
negative effects of using The Facebook in a tabular form.
The Effects of Using the Facebook
By Anne Gelene Tobias-Domangsang
"Think about what people are doing on Facebook today. They're keeping up with their friends and
family, but they're also building an image and identity for themselves, which in a sense is their brand.
They're connecting with the audience what they want to connect to. It's almost a disadvantage if you're not
in a now." - Mark Zuckerberg.
With the advent and the continuous development of technology comes the Internet and the
emerging issues that it brings. According to the Internet World Statistics, there are approximately
2,267,233,742 internet users worldwide in 2012. Today, it is no doubt that such number has dramatically
increased.
The purpose of the Internet has been changing from time to time. Decades ago, many people used
the Internet mainly to research and acquire relevant information that could be valuable in their fields of
study and life endeavors. It has also been used to communicate with people. Today, however, many people
use the Internet as their main source of entertainment and socialization. You can even bet that many of
these Internet users only go online to check their Facebook accounts.
It is important to learn that the Statistics Portal reports 1.44 billion monthly active Facebook users
monthly as of the first quarter of 2015. Active users are defined as those have logged into Facebook during
the last 30 days. Interestingly, Facebook users 2008 did not even reach a hundred million. But in the third
quarter 2012, the number of active Facebook users skyrocketed and surpassed 1 billion. Furthermore, as of
that quarter, the social network had 1.25 billion active mobile users.
A question remains, however: what is really the impact of Facebook in our world today?
The Facebook can be used to connect with people. Probably, all of us have found friends and
acquaintances that we would like to reconnect with in the Facebook. This has been one of the fastest way to
chat and communicate with people all over the world. We can use this social network to invite friends to an

important event, inform people of significant news in our lives, and vice versa. This has also been a very
effective way to advertise business pursuits, look for job opportunities, validate the credibility of a certain
individual or organization, be informed about important world phenomenon, search for great leisure
places, find a great educational opportunity and many more.
However, if the Facebook, renders countless benefits, it may also cause danger to users who are not
cautious and alert. For example, adding strangers, fake accounts and untrustworthy acquaintances on
Facebook may cause threat on the individual and his or her family security. If not careful, one may also be a
victim of business and other organizational scams. Other people may even believe on information and
news from unreliable sources, and cause other people to be misled by sharing such information.
Pornography and other materials that are not appropriate for young people can be accessed easily.
Cyberbullying and persecution have caused many people pain and suffering. Sometimes, opportunities for
genuine face-to-face interaction are sacrificed, and precious time is wasted.
Kimberly S. Young's research study entitled "Internet Addiction: A New Clinical Phenomenon and
It's Consequences" in 2013, tackles very critical issues that happen in reality among Internet users, in which
she explains that the Internet has great effects, not just to the students and employees, but also to family
relationships. In fact, three surprising problems among users emerged after conducting the study: (1) cyber
affair, (2) student internet abuse and (3) employee internet abuse. Social media, specifically the Facebook, play a
great role in such issues.
So, is the Facebook a blessing to the world of communications and social media? Or is it a cause for
worry among the guardians of societal ethics and morality? Is it a boon or a bane?
Well, as we reflect upon the impact of social media, it is important to remember that in the end, it is
still up us whether to use social media to our advantage or allow it to destroy us. The Facebook and other
social media can be very beneficial if used properly. It can help us connect with people and pursue great
opportunities. Pornography, cyberbullying, and other online scams will not be able to affect us if we do not
allow it to enter into our online lives. Because in the end, the nature of the internet is not really the
challenge— but the discipline of its users.

MODULE 5 - GENE THERAPY VERSUS STEM CELL THERAPY GENE THERAPY
Objectives:
1. define what a gene is
2. differentiate gene therapy from stem cell therapy
3. explain the importance of gene therapy in the future
4. demonstrate processes of gene therapy
5. discuss examples of genetic diseases.
Introduction
Genetic risks to health come from a variety of sources and predicting those risks "can be much more
complicated than simply assessing disease inheritance patterns.
The majority of health conditions are not related to a single genetic cause but result from a
combination of inherited and environmental influences. Our topic will highlight risk factors and provide risk
assessment tools, which can improve healthcare decision-making.
Because chromosomes and genes provide instructions for our bodies, any changes to these structures
have the potential to cause genetic diseases structures have the potential to cause genetic disease and
negatively impact health. We will discuss
the types of genetic diseases, how these dis inherited, and the potential health outcomes.
Understanding Gene Therapy
The expression of genetic conditions is not always ac of DNA (deoxyribunucleic acid) present, or the
inheritance pattern disorder. There are many factors that determine how one's gene correlates to one's
phenotype (physical manifestations). Am expressivity, mosaicism, and X-inactivation.
Penetrance is a measure of how often a disease phenotype correlates to the disease phenotype. For
example, in a completely penetrant disease, every individual who is genetically positive for the disease would
have clinical manifestations of said disease. In contrast, for diseases with incomplete penetrance, some
individuals who are genetically positive for that disease may be entirely asymptomatic.
Organisms inherit genetic information in a variety of ways that result in continuity of structure and
function between parents and offspring. Suppose you as a child have a genetic disease-one that could be
cured by diet or a similarly straightforward therapy. Wouldn't the parents want the disease diagnosed? Or
take another example, perhaps two people are getting married. Wouldn't it be beneficial to know what chance
their offspring have of inheriting one or several harmful genetic traits? We are now armed with the different
advance procedures like the PCR, Southern blotting, RFLP mapping, and DNA sequencing. Different
laboratories have already developed the ability to provide a very detailed look at our genetic materials. Is
there a necessity to apply all these techniques to all of us? What harm might it do to have a complete picture
of our genes? In totality, these procedures do not insert new genetic material into cells, no changes of any
kind are made. We are only provided with information about what is already there.
Cases of prenatal or perinatal diagnosis of a birth defect or an enzyme deficiency is one situation
where DNA diagnosis could be of immediate beneficial use. What must be emphasized is that the information
to be garnered by the new technology should be private and used by choice by the individual whose DNA
has been read. A person's DNA sequence to my mind should be protected by law from distribution to other
parties without the individual's specific permission. This goes the same with physicians who have obtained
such information, who should also treat it as they do any privileged material.
The introduction of foreign genes into organisms doesn't seem to be dangerous. The resulting
organisms don't appear to be better able to reproduce than any others. Attempts to remedy human disease
by somatic gene therapy also don't appear to pose ethical dilemmas. But the introduction of genes into the
human germ line does. The diagnostic procedures that genetic engineering allows are very powerful. Before
anything else, it will be relatively easy to correlate the presence of various DNA polymorphisms with disease
and other hereditary characteristics.
Genetic Engineering
Gene therapy involves altering the genes inside your body's cells in an effort to treat or stop the
disease, (www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/gene-therapy/about/pac-2-384619)

It involves the removal of a desirable gene from a cell, adding it to the gene structure of a bacterial
cell and replacing the recombinant DNA into the bacterial cell. The bacteria then have the capability to
produce the protein produced by the original animal or plant cell.
Gene Therapy
Knowledge of genetics is making possible new fields of health care. An example is the finding of genes
that may have mutations that can cause disease will aid in the development of preventive measures to fight
disease. Substances such as hormones and enzymes, from genetically engineered organisms may reduce the
cost and the side effects of replacing missing body chemicals.
The gene therapy has become a commonly used term in biomedical research. This process involves
the splicing of functional genes into cells that contain defective, nonfunctional genes for a particular trait. The
clinical techniques used to accomplish gene therapy are still being worked out. However, they involve
research into methods of introducing the functional genes into the person or organism affected by defective
gene. Simply, gene therapy replaces a faulty gene or adds a new gene in an attempt to cure disease or improve
your body's ability to fight disease.
Diseased People Cured by Fixing Their Genes
Putting genes into plants and domestic laboratory animals is one thing. What about using genetic
engineering to modify humans, in particular to cure human disease? There are two quite different procedures
that are being debated under this heading, and they need to be discussed separately. The first procedure is
to insert foreign genetic material into the germ line-into sperm or eggs-where they could be passed on to
succeeding generations. The second procedure is to use genetic engineering to insert foreign genes into
somatic cells-into any cells except sperm or eggs and their progenitors-in an effort to correct some genetic
defect.
Some questions may arise like: Does the process work? Will it yield a better quality of life for the
treated individual? Were the patients, parents or guardians given informed consent? Treating human genetic
disease by purposely changing the genes that are passed on to succeeding generations seems potentially
dangerous and ethically unsound. It is dangerous precisely because of the problems brought up at the very
beginning. There is a great possibility of some great interaction between the introduced gene and the
remainder of the genome. The consequences of this ignorance fall onto Succeeding generations-on innocent
children or fetuses. On the other hand, if the genetic engineer and the physician make a mistake in somatic
therapy, the person who suffers is the patient, who should have been appraised of dangers before the therapy
was begun.

MODULE 6 – THE ROLE OF GENES IN HEREDITY
Objectives:
1. explain the role of genes in heredity
2. demonstrate one's understanding of key terms
3. show in life 'situations genes importance in education.
Introduction
HEREDITY is the passing on of traits from parents to their offspring, either through asexual reproduction or
sexual reproduction, the offspring cells or organisms acquire the genetic information of their parents, through heredity,
variations between individuals can accumulate and cause species to evoke by natural selection. The study of heredity is
biology of genetics. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/heredity)
The Role of Genes in Heredity
The heredity information is contained or within the genes, located in the chromosomes of each cell.
An inherited trait can be determined by one or by many genes and a single gene can influence more than one
trait. A human cell contains many thousands of different genes in the nucleus.
Heredity factors known as genes are thought to exist as discrete portions (known as loci) of
chromosomes. The term "discrete” refers to the concept that genes are always located at the same point or
(locus) on a chromosome.
It is believed that pairs of homologous chromosomes contain linear, matching arrangements of genes
exerting parallel control over the same traits. Pairs of genes that exercise such parallel control over the same
traits are known as alleles, which are of two kinds: dominant and recessive.
Genetic characteristics can be extremely complex and may require the actions of several separate
genes to be expressed in the adult organism. An example of traits that require more than a single pair of genes
to be expressed are human height and human color. Other traits may be controlled by a single pair of genes.
Some of these traits may have extreme phenotypes, such as albinism (lack of skin pigment) in humans.
Common genetic disorder
• down syndrome
• sickle cell disease
• phenyl ketoneeria (PKU)
• hemophilia
Each of our gene codes contains unique protein and each protein has a separate and distinct function to
perform in the cell.
Effects of Genes in Our Environment
Genes are inherited, but their expression can be modified by interactions with the environment.
Genetic traits are determined largely through the precise information found in the cell's gene structure. A
variety of factors in the environment can actually alter the effects of a particular gene. Some examples of this
effect are as follows:
* Effect of light or chlorophyll production - Although most plants have the genetic ability to
produce chlorophyll, they will do this only in the presence of light. Without light, these plants produce
only a lightyellow pigment and therefore appear pale and sickly until they are exposed to sunlight. After a
few days of exposure to sunlight, the chlorophyll production mechanism is enabled and green color
returns.
Cells store and use coded information. The genetic information stored in DNA is used to direct the
synthesis of the thousands of proteins that each cell requires. The cell contains many thousands of such codes
in its chromosomes. Each strand of DNA in the chromosome has the potential to provide the complete
chemical code for the manufacture of at least one complete protein. These proteins are highly specific and
they result in the expression of some specific trait or portion of a trait in the living cell and, consequently, in
the organism of which they are part.

Gene Mutations
Genes are segments of DNA molecules. Any alteration of the DNA sequence is a mutation. Usually,
an individual cell's altered gene will be passed on to every cell that develops from it.
Gene mutations may be defined as being any changes in the nitrogenous base sequence of a molecule
DNA. When the base sequence of DNA is altered, the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide for which it
codes will likewise be altered. Such an alteration may affect the operation of the resulting enzyme, preventing
it from properly catalyzing its reaction and thus preventing a trait from being expressed by the cell. The
majority of gene mutations are harmful because they result in the cell being impaired from performing some
specific task. In rare cases, a mutation may result in a lethal gene that kills the cell either by producing a
substance toxic to the cell or by failing to produce a protein of vital importance to the cell.
Gene mutations are passed to every cell that arises from the mutated. If the mutation occurs in somatic
(body) tissues, its defect is limited to the tissues immediately surrounding the mutated cell. If the mutation
occurs in a primary sex cell, it passed on to the offspring that result from fertilization of or by gametes
produced from the primary sex cell. A mutation can enter the gene pool of a population and be passed on to
succeeding generations. This is known to be a cause of variation in a species.
On the other hand, DNA is a polymer made up of a repeating chemical unit known as the NUCLEOTIDE.
Thousands of the units are known to comprise a singleDNA molecule, making it one of the largest of all
organic compounds.
DNA exists in hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of different forms, depending on the precise
arrangement of nucleotides in the molecule. Its variability is the key to genetic variation in living things.
DNA nucleotides themselves are quite complex, being composed of three separate subunits:
* Phosphate group - a chemical group made up of phosphorous and oxygen
* Deoxyribose - a five-carbon sugar made up of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen
* Nitrogenous base - a chemical unit composed of carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen.
Bases found in DNA are adenine (A), thymine (T), cytosine (C), and guanine (G)
Have you ever written a secrete message to one of your friends? If so, you may have used a De to
keep the message hidden. For instance, you may have replaced the letters of the word with numbers or
separable, following a particular set of ru order for your friends to understand the message, they would need
to know the code and apply the same set of rules, in reverse, to decode it.
Decoding messages is also a keep step in gene expression, in which information from a gene is read
out to build a protein. Genetic code allows DNA & RNA sequences to be "decoded" into amino acids of a
protein. *(http://www.khanaacademy.org/science/biology/gene-expression-centrla dogma)
DNA Code
The chemical and structural properties of DNA are the bases for how the genetic Information that
underlies heredity is both encoded in genes (as a string of molecular bases) and replicated by means of
template. As we recall the DNA is a complex organic molecule composed of thousands of repeating
nucleotide molecules and that each free nucleotide carries with it one of our nitrogenous bases. The particular
sequence of nitrogenous bases adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine (A, T, C and G) comprise a strand of
DNA and providing the type of chemical code that is understood by the chemical mechanisms of the cell.
The DNA code is used by these mechanisms to manufacture specific enzymes and other proteins through the
process of protein synthesis.
A DNA strand provides a template (pattern) for the formation of messenger RNA (mRNA). The DNA
code is transcribed (read) by mRNA as the latter is synthesized in a pattern complementary to the DNA
strand. The process by which the DNA code is transferred to mRNA code is known as transcription. | ENA
molecules, uracil (U) nucleotides are substituted for DNA's thymine (T).
Each group of the three nitrogenous bases, known as a triplet codon, provides the information
necessary to code for the insertion of a single, specific amino acid into building protein molecule. The
particular sequence of triplet codons on DNA (and transcribed to mRNA) enables amino acids to be linked
together in a specific sequence during protein synthesis.
In conclusion DNA is not merely a molecule with a pattern, it is a CODE, a language, and an
information STORAGE. (http://int.search mywebsearch.com/search/GGmain)
An essential question to be asked is: How does inheritance help ensure continuity of life?

A significant principle of biology is the concept that all living organisms possess a set of instruction,
in the form of genes, that determine the characteristic of the organism. These instructions are unique to the
species for they determine the general physical and biological traits of the group. Being unique to the
individual, coding of the specific set of characteristics that sets one individual organism apart from all others
of that species. Students should also be familiar with:
• mechanisms by which genetic traits are passed from generations to generation to maintain genetic
continuity of the species.
• molecular basis of genetics that is used to maintain genetic continuity mechanisms by which it
changes through recombination, mutation, and genetic engineering
Students should be familiar with the mechanism by which DNA replicate its structure during normal cell
operation and in the process of reproduction. The roles of DNA and RNA in the coding of cell-specific
proteins and understand the role of these structural and functional proteins, enzymes, hormones, and other
substances in the
The Genetic Code
Every organism requires a set of coded instructions for specifying its traits. For offspring to resemble
their parents, information must be reliably transferred from one generation to the next. Heredity is the
passage of these instructions from one generation to another. Discoveries in genetic science,
desxyribonuecleic acid (DNA was revealed to be the chemically active agent of the gene. DNA replicates
itself when chromosomes replicate in the early stages of cell division.
DNA is passed from generation to generation during reproduction and acts as genetic factors.
DNA interacts with the cell's chemical factory and produces the observable effects of the phenotype
when genes are inherited by a cell or an organism.
DNA regulates the production of enzymes in the cell and thereby enables the cell to perform the
complex cellular chemical reactions necessary to sustain life.
Stem-cell therapy focuses on the use of stem cells to treat or prevent a disease or condition. Stem cells
are a special read of cells that are capable of differentiating into more than one kind of tissue. Stem cells are
used for curing various diseases such as diabetes, arthritis, few cancers, bone marrow failure.
(http://www.remedypublications.com/annals-of-stem-cell-research-and-therapy)
Genetic engineering is a technique of controlled manipulation of genes to change the genetic makeup
of cells and more genes across species boundaries.
(http:www.omiconline.org/advancements-in-genetic-engineering, php)
Activity 1
Explain the following in your own words:
1. Gene Therapy
2. The New Diagnostics
3. The DNA Code
Activity 2
1. Form a triad and come up with a secret message through the use of your own CODE so your
other classmates will not know what it means.
2. Write your coded message in a one whole sheet of paper.

MODULE 7 – BIODIVERSITY AND HEALTHY SOCIETY
Objectives:
1. define what biodiversity is
2. explain the impact of biodiversity on human population growth
3. apply how we can protect our environment by knowing the signs of contamination
Introduction
Our Planet Earth share trillions of varied species.
The different species of our plants and animals and the places they live is called biodiversity. All
together they give us all our needs in our life like food, clear drinking water, crisp air, medicines and provide
us our homes. Biodiversity is like a safety net.
We take into consideration, the huge variety of animals and plants in our planet Earth as threads in
the net. The more threads that adhere and intertwine, the net gets stronger, and the better nature can provide
for us and less threats for a climate change. Unfortunately, people have been disregarding the safety and help
of the net for decades. The forests were flattened to give way for farming. We have netted young fishes until
their numbers have collapsed. Wetlands were bulldozed causing floods and wreak havocs. The great impact
man has done for the great impact man has done for the very first time in human history is full understanding
of when to start mending the affected net wherein our natural w We love and depend upon. There is still the
need to reverse the losses of need to move swiftly to avoid any catastrophic change.
The Impact of Biodiversity on Human Life
The human species is just one of Earth's 1.9 million living life forms. It has arisen by the same
mechanisms as other species. It has the same physical requirements as other species. It is dependent for its
survival on its successful interactions with other, Earth's plant and animal species. Ultimately, it is a subject
to the same limitations to growth as any other species.
However, humans are also unlike any other species because of their niche as thinking, planning, and
technological beings. Due to their ability to use technology, the human population is growing virtually
unchecked by the natural factors that limit other species populations. Human technologies have had
significant impacts on the natural world by producing materials that pollute the air, water and soil. Its
activities are increasingly displacing or destroying natural habitats and their ecological communities,
reducing biodiversity and endangering the survival of many, if not all, Earth's living things. As a species, it
is essential that we understand the necessity of preserving the natural environment and its living species as
a means of ensuring our own survival. While some progress has been made in correcting certain
environmental problems, much remains to be done. Education and environmental awareness on a global
level is essential. Goverments, industries, and the general public must come together with the long range
impact of human activity that destroys the very fabric of biological life on Earth.
Human Population Growth
Unlike all other species, human population growth has risen at a very rapid rate over the past
centuries. The development of medical technology has reduced the incidence of disease in many parts of the
world; modern agriculture had reduced the incidence of disease in many parts of the world; modern
agriculture had reduced the likelihood of starvation in developed nations. This rapid increase in human
population and technology that supports that growth has put extreme pressures on the natural world,
threatening the survival of natural species and habitats.
In many less developed areas of the world, the human population has grown faster than the food
supply, causing widespread famine that threatens to eliminate large portions of the populations. Poverty and
hunger in these areas had led to the resurgence of diseases that have been all but eradicated in the world's
developed nations. These same conditions have forced some people to abandon their homes in search of food
and to be exposed to the elements, further reducing their ability to survive. Such occurrences are becoming
more frequent and severe. It remains to be seen when similar collapses will occur in developed countries.
Apparently, the human species is rapidly approaching a point where it will be unable to sustain continued
growth.

Pollution and Destruction in our Environment
Technological and industrial processes have led to the production of chemicals and by-products that
are harmful (toxic) to living things. Such toxic chemicals have contributed to our global environmental
pollution. Examples of pollutants include acidic ions, pesticides. When they are released into the
environment, these pollutants contaminate water, air, and / or soil, and make survival of natural species
difficult or impossible. To that extent, humans are exposed to these pollutants, and we are also subject to
their toxic effects. The industrial by-products such as dioxin pose similar dangers to many species, including
humans the combining of acidic ions with atmospheric water has resulted in acid precipitation (acid rain),
which has acidified lakes and disrupted natural ecosystems.
Destruction of Habitat
Humans have used their technologies to remove trees and other from wide areas of their natural
habitat for the purpose of creating agricultural lands, industrial Zones, roadways, or residential and
commercial developments. Humans have drained, filled, or redirected wetlands, ponds, streams and other
natural water habitats for these same purposes. Collectively known as habitat destruction, these activities
have had the effect of displacing plant and animal species important to the maintenance of a balanced
ecosystem. Human agriculture has produced a variety of negative effects due to inattention to its impact on
the natural environment. Failure to use cover crops (crops that protect soil from erosion) between planting
cycles has exposed bare soil to erosion, resulting in loss of topsoil and sedimentation of water sources. Over
cropping is the failure to allow soil to recover nutrients and organic matter content between plantings.
Overgrazing is the practice of allowing large numbers of domestic animals to graze an area too small to
support them.
Exploitation of Animals and Plants
Humans who have great desire to possess exotic animals and plants or their products have been
enabled by modern transportation, communication and economic technologies. This resulted in the
exploitation for exotic species of primates such as monkey, cats birds such as parrots and other pets. Some
animals are killed for their horns, elephants for their tusks, tigers and other species for their pelts. Each
species loss has impacted its ecosystem in a negative way. Each exploited species is to one degree or another,
in danger of extinction because of this exploitation,
In an activity known as direct harvesting, humans have removed plants from the ecosystem for their
economic value without regard for the effect of its removal or natural ecosystem. This removal has negatively
impacted the ecosystem by decreasing biodiversity (variety of life) in these habitats. Forest trees were directly
harvested from our mountains to provide lumber for building purposes, and denuded in the process,
allowing fragile soils to be washed away. This activity resulted in the destruction of entire mountain habitats.
Worldwide, direct harvesting activities for exotic hardwoods in tropical rain forests has resulted in similar
habitat destruction and loss of biodiversity.
Signs of Environmental Contamination
Many warning signs exist indicate that a dangerous disequilibrium is being Many warning signs exist
indicate that a dangerous disequilibrium is being created in our ecosystems. Some researchers suspect that
toxic chemicals by-products, heavy metals, pesticides, hormones, pharmaceuticals and other contaminants
are responsible for an increased frequency in deformation of illnesses, death of natural populations
worldwide. An example is the dramatic decline and deformation in from populations which have been
observed in aquatic ecosystems around the world. The culprits suspected by some scientists are
hormonedisrupting chemicals in agricultural runoff. Other examples include:
• reproductive cycle disruption in birds as a result of high concentrations of DDT and other pesticides.
deaths and population declines of birds and fish linked to contamination from oil spills
• deaths and disorientation of marine mammals (tortoise and whales) possibly due to coastal pollutant
runoff
• contaminated waters

In our own species, adverse health effects linked to chemical exposure are increasingly prevalent
among infancy and early childhood. These are the periods of vulnerability to environmental pollution,
because they spend more energy, require more food, water, and oxygen per unit of mass than adults, hence
young children are likely to take in and store more toxic chemicals per pound than adults. Recently, the
incidence of birth defects and diseases linked to environmental pollution has risen among children living in
environmentally-contaminated areas of the world. Childhood cancer has become the second leading cause
of childhood deaths. Other health problems being experienced today by children living in contaminated
communities include chronic lung disease and childhood asthma.
Consumption of Energy
Worldwide, industrialization has brought an increased demand for use of energy resources. It
brought both the positive and the negative effects on humans and ecosystems. The world industrialized
nations have used tremendous quantity of energy to fuel their business. Countries like the United States and
England have long been the major consumers of energy. China, formerly a light user of energy resources,
lately became a major consumer of petroleum as a source of energy to operate its growing economy
For some time, the source of energy has changed, with traditional water, wood, coal, and oil gradually
being replaced with natural gas, wind, wave/tidal, nuclear, solar, geothermal and fuel cell technologies. The
development of these energy sources often uses valuable agricultural land for the construction, storage and
transport of energy they produce.
Fossils for Fuels
Fossil fuels are commonly used as an energy source in industrial processes for the past 200 years,
include naturally occurring materials such as oil, coal and natural gas. These fuels are obtained from
underground deposits formed million years ago by biological and geological processes, and these fossil fuels
are not being replenished. The chemical by-products of fossil fuel combustion are released into the
atmosphere and contribute to the worldwide air pollution as well as a phenomenon known as acid
precipitation or acid rain. Acid precipitation results from combining of sulfur and nitrogen oxide ions with
atmospheric water to produce sulfuric and nitric acids. When rain show and sleet containing these acids fall
on aquatic ecosystems they can significantly alter the acid/base chemistry. Any alteration often leads to
elimination of acid/base sensitive species of fish and amphibians in the ecosystem. The burning of fossil fuels
has also been linked to the phenomenon known as global warming.
Activity 1
A. In groups of 5 (5) members each, form/come up with a collage of the impact of biodiversity on
various aspects of human life.
B. Each group will post on the wall their collage and a member explains what the collage
communicates.
C. Each group will fill up the given matrix based on their discussion.
Concepts of Biodiversity Impact Areas of Life Affected Insights or Values Learned
Activity 2
1. What most important thing did I realize about biodiversity?
2. Do you agree that our environment is contained? Take a position and defend it.

MODULE 7 – THE NANO WORLD
Objectives:
1. define nanoscience clearly
2. discuss the contributions of persons to this subject
3. appreciate the uses of nano science and nano technology.
Introduction
Nanoworld of science and technology is of great interest to governments, industries and academia.
The prefix "nano" denotes sizes of the order of one billionth of a meter. "Nanostructure science and technology
is a broad and interdisciplinary area of research and development activity that has been growing explosively
worldwide in the past few years. It has the potential for revolutionizing the way in which materials and
products are created and the range and nature of functionalities that can be accessed” (Siegel, 1999).
The history of nanotechnology traces the development of the concepts and experimental work falling
under the broad category of nanotechnology. Although nanotechnology is a relatively recent development
in scientific research, the development of its central concepts happened over a longer period of time. The
emergence of nanotechnology in the 1980s was caused by the convergence of experimental advances such as
the invention of the scanning tunneling microscope in 1981 and the discovery of fullerenes in 1985, with the
elucidation and popularization of a conceptual framework for the goals of nanotechnology.
Defining the Terms
The two terms often used in the literature with reference to the world of nano materials are
nanoscience and nanotechnology. Nano materials denote divided matter. As Rao (1999) said, "if you take a
piece of solid matter (say a metal) containing an Avogardro number of atoms and go on dividing it to smaller
bits, you will ultimately end up with an atom of the substance. Before that, you will reach a stage of very tiny
particles containing 100 to 10,000 atoms. Such particles with diameters of (1-50nm) (10-500) Ao are referred
to as nanoparticles.
Nanomaterials exhibit properties entirely different from bulk materials and constitute materials of the
future. Increased surface area and quantum effects are the two key factors that separate nanomaterials from
bulk materials (The Royal Society and The Royal Academy of Engineering, 2004). A substance of size 3 nm
has 50% of its atoms on the surface compared to a substance of size 30 nm with 5% of its atoms on its surface.
As size decreases more quantum effects begin to manifest in the form of electrical, magnetic and optical
properties.
Nanoscience refers to the scientific study of materials of nanometer size, i.e. one billionth of a meter
(The Royal Society, 1994). It is a combination of developments in solid state chemistry, synthetic chemistry,
molecular biology, solid state physics and engineering, and scanning tunneling microscopy. According to
Alfred Nordmann (cited in Schummer, 2003), it is a site-oriented technoscience approach that differs both
from classical theory-driven and problem-driven (p. 2). For example, nanosized indium melts at much lower
temperature than respective bulk metal (Allen, 2002). Copper in extremely thin layers, in the presence of
magnetic field, becomes a poor conductor of electricity (Loder, 2005).
Nanotechnology refers to various technologies to produce materials of extra high precision and
dimensions on the scale of one-billionth of a meter. (Norio Taniguchi of Tokyo Science University is credited
with coining the term “nanotechnology" in 1974). Nanotechnology “implies the ability to generate and utilize
structures, components, and devices with a size range from about 0.1 nm (atomic and molecular scale) to
about 100nm (or larger in some situations) by control at atomic molecular, and macromolecular levels” (Roco,
1999) One of the most interesting aspects of nanotechnology is buliding molecule-by-molecule materials
similar to those produced by biological self-assemlby, self-organization and self-regulation (Carraher, Jr.
1994).
What is Nano World?
To understand the nano world here are presented important personages who have contributed to the
growth and study of the Nano World.
The retroactive rediscovery of Feynman's "Plenty of Room" gave nanotechnology a packaged history
that provided an early date of December 1959, plus a connection to the charisma and genius of Richard
Feynman. Feynman's stature as a Nobel laureate and as an iconic figure in 20th century science surely helped
advocates of nanotechnology and provided a valuable intellectual link to the past.

His paper on the Nanosystems: Molecular Machinery, Manufacturing, and Computation, received the
Association of American Publishers award for Best Computer Science Book of 1992. Drexler founded the
Foresight Institute in 1986 with the mission of “Preparing for nanotechnology."
Nanotechnology and nanoscience got a boost in the early 1980s with two major developments: the
birth of cluster science and the invention of the scanning tunneling microscope (STM). These developments
led to the discovery of fullerenes in 1985 and the structural assignment of carbon nanotubes a few years later
The scanning tunneling microscope, an instrument for imaging surfaces at the atomic level was
developed in 1981 by Gerd Binnig and Heinrich Rohrer at IBM Zurich Research Laboratory, for which they
were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1986 Binnig, Calvin Quate and Christoph Gerber invented the
first atomic force microscope in 1986. The first commercially available atomic force microscope was
introduced in 1989.
IBM researcher Don Eigler was the first to manipulate atoms using a scanning tunneling microscope
in 1989. He used 35 Xenon atoms to spell out the IBM logo. He shared the 2010 Kavli Prize in Nanoscience
for this work.
Initial commercial applications
The early 2000s saw the beginnings of the use of nanotechnology " commercial products, although
most applications are limited to the buin use of passive nanomaterials. Examples include titanium dioxide
and zinc oxide nanoparticles in sunscreen, cosmetics and some food products; silver nanoparticles in food
packaging, clothing, disinfectants and household appliances such as Silver Nano; carbon nanotubes for
stainresistant textiles; and cerium oxide as a fuel catalyst.[51] As of March 10, 2011, the Project on Emerging
Nanotechnologies estimated that over 1300 manufacturer-identified nanotech products are publicly
available, with new ones hitting the market at a pace of 3-4 per week.
Potential Uses
The joint Center for Bioethics in Canada ranked potential uses of nanosciences and nanotechnologies
with respect to development. The top ten uses follow (BBC News, 2005).
• Energy production, conservation and storage
• Enhancement of agricultural productivity
• Treatment and remediation of water
• Screening and diagnosing diseases
• Systems for drug delivery
• Processing and storing food
• Controlling air pollution
• Construction
• Monitoring health
• Detecting and controlling pests
Activity 1
1. Prepare a written research report on the current users or application of nano science and
nano technology. Indicate your sources/references at the end of the report.
2. Get ready to present highlights as important points of your report to the class with a power
point presentation using 5 slides only.

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