LANGUAGE

 THE ROLE OF LANGUAGE

 MATHEMATICS AS THE LANGUAGE OF NATURE

What is Language?

 Language is an abstract system of symbols and meanings. This system includes the rules
(grammar) that relate symbols and meanings so that we can communicate with each other.
 Symbol- anything that stands for anything else.
 Language and its related processes may be the most important feature distinguishing humans
from all other animals.

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man

 The words are “informed” because they carry “information” (Chaisson, 2006; Ben-Naim, 2015)
 Words are informed with meaning given by the speaker and intended for the listener.
 WORDS COMMUNICATE MEANING.

THE ROLE OF LANGUAGE

 In the human quest for understanding the natural world, the ability to name and classify objects
found in nature was seen as a first step in knowing.
 Greeks- Language was an object worthy of emulation. WORDS HAVE POWER.
 How is it possible that one’s idea can possibly exist his/her mind and in another’s?
 How is it possible that human beings can communicate through words and thus form a
community?
 Does the power of the communicated word come from the speaker, who is the thinker and the
source, or from the listener, who is the recipient of the communication?

 Thinking in terms of a common system being generated by the speaker and received by the
listener is useful in the pursuit of knowledge.

 Science, from the Latin word, scire, is one kind of knowledge the Greeks wanted to know.

 WORDS CAN FUNCTION ACROSS SPACE AND TIME WITHOUT REDUCING THEIR MEANING.

 The speaker can use the same words over and over again to talk to one, a hundred, or to a
thousand people separately or at the same time.

 Nevertheless, the same message will be received by everyone.

  The first philosophers were seeking for a unifying principle in nature- (UNIFYING FACTOR)

 There is an inside to be “understood”.

 Plato’s principle of “One and the Many”

 Unity among diverse beings in the natural world

 There is a common intrinsic nature shared by different objects, which determine s their real
sense.

Dog analogy: Many differences in detail across breeds and individual dogs. BUT- the deeper truth is that
they are all built on the same body plan and have far more in common than the superficial differences
suggest.

What are some features common to all dogs?

 Social animals
 Territorial
 Omnivorous but with a strong preference for meat
 Same basic configuration of skeleton
 Same number and basic shape of teeth
 Any dog will breed with any other dog, regardless of large differences in size and general
appearance.

TAXONOMY

 There are 7 levels of taxonomy. Each is more specific then the previous and includes fewer
organisms.
1. Kingdom
2. Phylum
3. Class
4. Order
5. Family
6. Genus
7. Species
 In the 21st century, we are aware more than ever that there is rich diversity in nature, which
technology has allowed us to discover (BANWA Natural Science, 008)
MATHEMATICS

MATHEMATICS AS THE LANGUAGE OF NATURE

NATURE can be understood because it speaks language of mathematics and the human brain, to a
certain extent, can comprehend this language (Wigner, 1960).

Biodiversity

What does biodiversity mean?

- “The variety of life in all its forms, levels and combinations”

- Includes: ecosystem diversity, species diversity, and genetic diversity

- Scientists have identified more than 2 million species. Tens of millions -- remain unknown

- The tremendous variety of life on Earth is made possible by complex interactions among all
living things.

Carl Linnaeus

 The hierarchical system of classifying and naming animals

 It builds on the ability of the mind to find the common in the diverse, the ONE IN THE MANY.

 Though living things in the world are so diverse, they still share many traits

There are 3 components of biodiversity

1. Diversity of genes
Chihuahuas, Greyhound and Newfies are all dogs—but they're not the same because their genes
are different.

- Chihuahua - Greyhound -Newfoundland

2. Diversity of species.

- Hoary bat - Iwi - Kahuli

Organism (single one of species)

- mushrooms - polar bears - snakes - coyotes -prairie dogs -

elephants

3. Variety of ecosystems
- Each one is different, with its own set of species living in it.
 - desert -tropical rainforest -taiga

 Marine (aquatic) Ecosystem

 Freshwater & Terrestrial Ecosystems
 Terrestrial Ecosystem
 Aquatic (estuary) Ecosystems

Biodiversity has Intrinsic Value

Intrinsic Value = Something that has value in and of itself

 What is the importance of biodiversity?

What do we get from biodiversity?

 Oxygen

 Food

 Clean Water

 Medicine

 Aesthetics

 Ideas

1. Plants counteract climate change by capturing carbon dioxide.

2. Wetlands purify water flow into lakes and streams.

3. Forests soak up rain reducing the risk of floods.

4. Worms turn wastes into life-supporting soil.

5. Mangroves protect shorelines from storms.

6. Microbes in the oceans produce ½ of the oxygen we breathe.

7. Nature is behind 9 of our top 10 medicines.

8. Fruits, nuts, vegetables and other crops benefit from nature’s pollinators.

9. Woods and wetlands, prairies and ponds bring beauty to our lives, increase property values.
Biodiversity also has Utilitarian Value

Utilitarian Value = the value something has as a means to another’s end.

Utilitarian values include:

• Goods

• Services

• Information

 What are the evidences of biodiversity loss?

 We lose 35M acres of nature’s forests.

 Three species of plants, animals and other living things vanish forever.

 1/5 of coral reefs

 1/3 of mangrove forests

 ½ of world’s wetlands

 Where several different species and genera cohabitate, there is RICH DIVERSITY

 SELF-PRESERVATION – one of the basic laws of the living

 An organism will sacrifice all it has to ensure its survival.

The 2010 international year of biodiversity

Steffen thorsen

. . . The assembly also invited the secretariat to work with other United Nations bodies, environmental
agreements, and organizations to bring greater international attention to the continued biodiversity
loss.

The 2010 international year of biodiversity

Steffen thorsen

. . . Focuses on boosting awareness of biodiversity’s importance by promoting actions to foster

biodiversity worldwide.
Gene Therapy

Genes

• Made up of DNA.

• Set of instructions that determine what the organism is like, its appearance, how it survives, and
how it behaves in its environment.

HOWEVER,
GENES AREN’T ALWAYS BUILT CORRECTLY.

What if we can fix this defective gene?

Gene
Therapy

The aim of gene therapy is the successful integration of corrected, therapeutic DNA into the genomes of
cells to alter gene expression and, in turn, protein synthesis to correct genetic diseases.

The transferred genetic material then changes how our protein or group of proteins is produced by the
cell.

How is gene transferred?

VECTORS FOR GENE DELIVERY

Appropriate methods to deliver DNA used in gene therapy are vital, as the targeted tissues must
properly receive the appropriate genes.

A carrier called as VECTOR helps in the delivery of the gene.

Two Approaches of Gene Therapy

1. In Vivo – Genes are introduced directly into the patient’s cells while the cells are still in the
patient’s body.

2. Ex Vivo – Cells are removed from the patient’s body, then the genes are added to those cells in
the laboratory. After that, the cells are returned to the patient’s body.

Bioethical Issues in Gene Therapy

Effects on the Environment

New organisms created by genetic engineering could present an ecological problem. One cannot
predict the changes that a genetically engineered species would make on the environment.
Effects on Human

• Looking at the fact that genetic engineering employs viral vector that carries functional gene
inside the human body; the repercussion are still unknown.
• There are no clues as to where functional genes are being placed. They may even replace the
important genes, instead of mutated genes. Thus, this may lead to another health condition or
disease to human.

Ethical and Social Issues

• "Playing God" has become a strong argument against genetic engineering. Several issues have
also been raised as regards the acceptance of this technology.

• These concerns range from ethical issues to lack of knowledge on the effects that genetic
engineering may have.

GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS

- A plant, animal, microorganism, or other organism

whose genetic makeup has been modified using
recombinant DNA methods, gene modification or
transgenic technology.

- The result of a laboratory process where genes from the DNA of one species are extracted and
artificially
inserted into the genes of an unrelated plant or
animal.

- GMO’s are also known as “transgenic “ organisms

1. Identification of the desired trait.

- Isolated, then replicated.

2. Insertion of the trait.

- Not the whole gene, but only sections

that carry the desired characteristic.

- Genetic modification aims

to address:

- Food security
 - Agriculture

- Drug production

- Nutrition

GMOs ARE HIGHLY CONTROVERSIAL.

Bad Reputation of GMO

• People view genetic modification as contamination

• Biotechnologists are playing God

• Herbicide resistance in weeds

• Psychological essentialism

• Misinformation

Even with the economic and environmental

benefits that genetically modified organisms have
contributed today, together with the abundance of
scientific data and research that assures that
GMO products are safe, there is still an ongoing stigma
against it.

Climate Change

What is climate?

Climate refers to the general weather conditions of a place over many years.

• is the long-term alteration of temperature and typical weather patterns in a place.

• may cause weather patterns to be less predictable.

How climate change happens

1. Natural Causes

• Sun’s intensity- Sun doesn’t always shine at perpetually the same level of brightness; it brightens
and dims slightly, taking 11 years to complete one solar cycle. These changes have a variety of
effects in space, in Earth’s atmosphere and on Earth’s surface.

• Volcanic eruptions- During major explosive eruptions huge amounts of volcanic gas, aerosol
droplets, and ash are injected into the stratosphere.
 • Changes in naturally occurring greenhouse gas- an increase in the atmospheric concentrations
of greenhouse gases produces a positive climate forcing, or warming effect

2. Anthropogenic causes

• Human activities-the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions we generate—are the leading cause of
the earth’s rapidly changing climate.

Pieces of Evidence to Affirm the Presence of Climate Change

Global Temperature Rise

The planet's average surface temperature has risen about 2.05 degrees Fahrenheit

Shrinking Ice Sheets

The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets have decreased in mass.

Warming Ocean

The ocean has absorbed much of this increased heat, with the top 100 meters of ocean showing
warming of more than 0.6 degrees Fahrenheit since 1969

Decreased Snow Cover

Satellite observations reveal that the amount of spring snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere has
decreased over the past five decades and the snow is melting earlier.

Sea Level Rise

Global sea level rose about 8 inches (20 centimeters) in the last century.

Ocean Acidification

Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the acidity of surface ocean waters has increased by
about 30%.

GLOBAL WARMING

WHAT IS GLOBAL WARMING??

Global warming is the uncommonly fast expansion in Earth's normal surface temperature over the
previous century.
IS GLOBAL WARMING AND CLIMATE CHANGE THE SAME?!

"GLOBAL WARMING" alludes to the rise in earth temperatures due above all to the expanding
centralizations of ozone harming substances in the environment, while "Climate/Environmental
changes" alludes to the expanding changes in the proportions of atmosphere throughout an extensive
stretch of time – including precipitation, temperature, and wind designs.

Milankovitch theory

Milankovitch theory depict the aggregate impacts of changes in the Earth's developments on its
atmosphere more than a huge number of years.

The term is named for Serbian geophysicist and space expert Milutin Milanković.

Eccentricity- a boundary that decides the sum by which its orbit around another body goes astray from a
perfect circle.

On the question of whether or not this global warming is only natural, there are two conflicting claims. It
has been said that as the sun rises and sets, global warming occurs naturally. But there is another
argument, which claims that human activities are driving global warming.

Is the Current Warming Natural?

In Earth's set of experiences before the Industrial Revolution, Earth's atmosphere changed because of
common causes not identified with human movement. Frequently, the worldwide atmosphere has
changed in view of varieties in daylight.

Remember that...

Not only greenhouse gas can be concerned with global warming.