SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY 1.

Examine life, engage life with a vengeance; always

General Education 109 search for new pleasures and new destinies to
CHAPTER 5: THE GOOD LIFE reach with your mind.
 One basic way we use the word “good” is to 2. Worry only about the things that are in your control ,
express moral approval. the things that can be influenced and changed by
 In Plato’s dialogue Gorgias, Socrates takes this your actions, not about the things that are beyond
position to an extreme. He argues that it is much your capacity to direct or alter.
better to suffer wrong than to do it; that a good man 3. Treasure Friendship, the reciprocal attachment that
who has his eyes gouged out and is tortured to fills the need for affiliation. Friendship cannot be
death is more fortunate than a corrupt person who acquired in the market place, but must be nurtured
has used wealth and power dishonorably. and treasured in relations imbued with trust and
 In his masterpiece, the Republic, Plato develops amity.
4. Experience True Pleasure. Avoid shallow and
this argument in greater detail. The morally good
transient pleasures. Keep your life simple. Seek
person, he claims, enjoys a sort of inner harmony,
calming pleasures that contribute to peace of mind.
whereas the wicked person, no matter how rich
True pleasure is disciplined and restrained.
and powerful he may be or how many pleasures he
5. Master Yourself. Resist any external force that
enjoys, is disharmonious, fundamentally at odds
might delimit thought and action; stop deceiving
with himself and the
yourself, believing only what is personally useful
world.
and convenient; complete liberty necessitates a
 It is worth noting, though, that in both the Gorgias
struggle within, a battle to subdue negative
and the Republic, Plato bolsters his argument with
psychological and spiritual forces that preclude a
a speculative account of an afterlife in which
healthy existence; self-mastery requires ruthless
virtuous people are rewarded and wicked people
candor.
are punished.
6. Avoid Excess. Live life in harmony and balance.
 A person who lives this way—obeying the Avoid excesses. Even good things, pursued or
commandments and performing the proper rituals attained without moderation, can become a source
—is pious. of misery and suffering.
 But devout believers are confident that their piety 7. Be a Responsible Human Being. Approach yourself
will not be in vain. Christian martyrs went singing to with honesty and thoroughness; maintain a kind of
their deaths confident that they would soon be in spiritual hygiene; stop the blame-shifting for your
heaven. Hindus expect that the law of karma will errors and shortcomings.
ensure that their good deeds and intentions will be 8. Don’t Be a Prosperous Fool . Prosperity by itself is
rewarded, while evil actions and desires will be not a cure-all against an ill-led life and may be a
punished, either in this life or in future lives. source of dangerous foolishness. Money is a
EPICURUS necessary but not a sufficient condition for the
good life, for happiness and wisdom.
 The ancient Greek philosopher who was one of the 9. Don’t Do Evil to Others . Evildoing is a dangerous
first to declare, bluntly, that what makes life worth habit, a kind of reflex too quickly resorted to and
living is that we can experience pleasure. too easily justified that has a lasting and damaging
 Pleasure is enjoyable, it’s fun, it’s...well...pleasant! effect upon the quest for the good life. Harming
The view that pleasure is the good, or, to put I others claims two victims—the receiver of the
another way, that pleasure is what makes life worth harm, and the victimizer, the one who does harm.
living, is known as hedonism. 10. Kindness towards others tends to be rewarded.
 The word “hedonist,” when applied to a person, Kindness to others is a good habit that supports
has slightly negative connotations. It suggests and reinforces the quest for the good life. Helping
that they are devoted to what some have called the others bestows a sense of satisfaction that has two
“lower” pleasures such as sex, food, drink, and beneficiaries—the beneficiary, the receiver of the
sensual indulgence in general. help, and the benefactor, the one who provides the
 An “epicure” is someone who is especially help.
appreciative of food and drink. But this is a  Human existence is derived from philosophical
misrepresentation of Epicureanism. Epicurus and religious contemplation and scientific
certainly praised all kinds of pleasures. The good inquiries about, social ties, consciousness and
life has to be virtuous. Although Epicurus happiness.
disagreed with Plato about the value of pleasure,  According to Aristotle, human beings have a
he fully agreed with him on this point. natural desire and capacity to know and
 What is key to this hedonistic conception of the understand the truth, to pursue moral
good life is that it emphasizes subjective excellence, and to instantiate their ideals in the
experiences. On this view, to describe a person as world through action.
“happy” means that they “feel good,” and a happy  Plato’s reputation comes from his idealism of
life is one that contains many “feel good” believing in the existence of universalis. His
experiences. Theory of Forms proposes that universals do
 Hedonist conception – arguably dominant in not physically exist, like objects, but as
western culture. heavenly forms.
 In the dialogue of Republic, the character of
ARISTOTLE
Socrates describes the Form of the Good. His
 If Socrates emphasizes virtue and Epicurus theory on justice in the soul relates to the idea
emphasizes pleasure, another great Greek of happiness relevant to the question of the
thinker, Aristotle, views the good life in a more meaning of life. In Platonism, the meaning of
comprehensive way. According to Aristotle, we life is in attaining the highest form of
all want to be happy. We value many things knowledge, which is the Idea of the Good,
because they are a means to other things. So, from which all good and just things derive
for Aristotle, the good life is a happy life. utility and value.
 Aristotle agrees with Socrates that to live the  Rolando Gripaldo, a Filipino philosopher,
good life one must be a morally good person. argues that the concept of the public good
He also agrees with Epicurus that a happy life carries largely the politico-ethical sense, which
will involve many and varied pleasurable subsumes the politico ethical senses.
experiences.  Public good - is public in the sense that the
 Michael Soupiest and Panos Mourdoukoutas beneficiaries are the general public.
wrote a book entitled The Ten Golden Rules on  Government/state – pursue it with service
Living a Good Life where they extracted orientation.
“ancient wisdom from the Greek philosophers  Private corporation – pursue it with profit
on living the good life” and mapped it into orientation.
modern times.  Mixed public goods – pursued by private
organizations with service motivation.
  Public good – communal or national public. could also be the mechanical and electronic
 This can be perceived in two levels. The first components which make up modern-day robots.
level comes from the people themselves. The The distinguishing characteristic of Aristotle is his
second level comes from the local or national inclusion of “form.” The term simply means
Government. whatever it is that makes a human a human, a
- Examples of these assumed necessary public plant a plant, and an animal an animal. Each of
services or public goods are national defense, these have a specific “form” which is not the same
education, public health, public ports/airports and as its “matter,” but is a functioning unity which is
highways, social services, postal services, and the essential to each living organism in order for it to
like. be just that, living. The word used to describe the
“form” of a living organism is “psyche” or “soul.”
CHAPTER 6: WHEN TECHNOLOGY AND HUMANITY  In 1942 Isaac 7 Asimov introduced to the world of
CROSS science fiction what are known as the Three Laws
 Ethical Dilemmas of Robotics – The rapid of Robotics.
advancements in technology that the world has  Short story “Runaround.” The laws Asimov
witnessed over the past century have made a formulated are: First, a robot may not injure a
reality of many of mankind’s wildest dreams. human being or, through inaction, allow a human
 One dream that is still yet to be perfectly fulfilled by being to come to harm. Second, a robot must obey
advancements in technology is the development of any orders given to it by human beings, except
human-like and self-aware robots, often referred to where such orders would conflict with the First
as androids. Law. Third, a robot must protect its own existence
 However, it is commonly accepted that robots as long as such protection does not conflict with
contain some combination of the following the First or Second Law.
attributes such as mobility, intelligent behavior,  Robot Code of Ethics - remains true that robotics
sense and manipulation of environment. The term technology is not at a place where ethical codes for
“robot” truly extends to more than just androids. robots are necessary, it is not stopping some
The commonly accepted first use of the word was countries from being proactive and taking the
in 1920 in the form of a play written by Karel beginning steps in the development of a robot code
Capek. They are given the ability to think, they are of ethics.
designed to be happy as servants. The use of the  South Korea is considered one of the most high-
word “robot” in Capek's play comes from the Slavic tech countries in the world and they are leading the
languages‟ word for “work,” which is robota. way in the development of such a code.
 The use of the word “robot” in Capek's play comes  Robot Ethics Charter, it is being drawn up “to
from the Slavic languages‟ word for “work,” which prevent human abuse of robots—and vice versa”.
is robota.  Stefan Lovgren’s words, “human control over
 Servant robots seen in Capek's play is the servants robots and humans becoming addicted to robot
of the Greek god Hephaestus, the god of fire and interaction”
the forge. It is recorded that Hephaestus had built  Mark Tilden claims that we are simply not at a point
robots out of gold which were “his helpers, where robots can be given morals and compares it
including a complete set of life-size golden to “teaching an ant to yodel”.
handmaidens who helped around the house”.  Human Morals and Machines - Technology has
Another example of robots in Greek mythology begun to change our species’ long-standing
comes from the stories of Pygmalion, who is said experiences with nature.
to have crafted a statue of Galatea that would  Technological nature—technologies that in various
come to life. ways mediate, augment, or simulate the natural
 Leonardo Da Vinci's journals which contained world.
detailed plans for the construction of a humanoid  A group of leading roboticists called the Chapter 2
robot. Inspired by the ancient myths, the robot was 81 European Robotics Network (Euron) has even
designed in the form of an armored knight and was started lobbying governments for legislation.
to possess the ability to sit up, wave its arms, move
 The article “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” by
its head, and open its mouth.
Nicholas Carrs discusses the effects that the
 The journals in which the plans were found date Internet may be having on our ability to focus, the
back to 1495. It is unknown if this robot was ever difference in knowledge that we now have, and our
built by Da Vinci, but merely conceiving it was a reliance on the Internet.
milestone in the timeline of robotic history. The
 In summary, the article is split into two pieces. The
Modern State of Robots From Da Vinci to the
first is Nicholas Carr’s longing for his brain to be
current day the development of humanoid robots
one with the Internet, a man-made machine. The
has continued to approach the goal of a robot that
second part of the article is Google’s standpoint on
is indistinguishable from a human.
how our brains should be replaced by artificial
 Robin Marantz Henig discusses her experiences intelligence.
with what are often labeled “social robots.” These
 Theodore Kaczynskian American domestic terrorist
robots are by no means what the servant robots of
also known as the Unabomber, killed three people
Greek mythology have led many people to hope
during a nationwide bombing campaign targeting
for; rather they are infant versions, at best, of the
those involved with modern technology and
long-hoped-for androids.
wounded many others. One of his bombs gravely
 Rodney Brooks is an expert in robotics and artificial injured David Gelernter, one of the most brilliant
intelligence. In an article written in 2008, Brooks and visionary computer scientists. His actions were
explains that it is no longer a question of whether murderous and criminally insane, but his vision
human-level artificial intelligence will be developed, describes unintended consequences, a well-known
but rather how and when. problem with the design and use of technology.
 St. Thomas Aquinas – materialism often finds itself  A textbook on dystopia and Moravec discuss how
at odds with most religious views in world. our main job in the 21st century will be “ensuring
 Materialism, a philosophical system which regards continued cooperation from the robot industries” by
matter as the only reality in the world. It has passing laws decreeing that they be “nice,” and
become popular in modern times and finds its roots describing how seriously dangerous a human can
among the ancient Indians. Materialism does not be once transformed into an unbounded super
entertain any notion of organisms having a “form” intelligent robot. Moravec’s view is that the robots
or “soul”; rather, organisms are made simply of will eventually succeed us those humans clearly
various types of “matter.” face extinction.
 The view articulated by Aristotle and his modern-  We have yet to come to terms with the fact that the
day followers describes life in terms of unity, a most compelling 21st-century technologies–
composite of both “matter” and “form.” One type of robotics, genetic engineering, and
“matter” which Aristotle speaks of could be nanotechnology–pose a threat different from the
biological material such as what plants, animals, technologies that have come before.
and humans consist of. Another type of “matter”
 Bomb is blown up only once– but one bot can  The arrival of mechanical movable type printing
become many, and quickly get out of control. introduced the era of mass communication, which
 The effort to build the first atomic bomb was led by permanently altered the structure of society.
the brilliant physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer.
Oppenheimer was not naturally interested in PRINTED MATERIALS AS AGENTS OF CHANGE
politics but became painfully aware of what he  Gutenberg’s movable type printing press was a
perceived as the grave threat to Western disruptive innovation in more ways than one.
civilization from the Third Reich, a threat surely  Making printed materials more accessible, it
grave because of the possibility that Hitler might allowed for the spread of knowledge both within
obtain nuclear weapons. elite communities, like the Catholic Church and the
scientific community, and also to the rest of the
CHAPTER 7: THE INFORMATION AGE general population.
 The Information Age began around the 1970s and
still going on today. It is also known as the POST - GUTENBERG PERIOD
Computer Age, Digital Age, or New Media Age.  The impact of the Gutenberg printing press was
This era brought about a time period in which immeasurable. It caused nothing less than a
people could access information and knowledge dramatic social and cultural revolution. The sudden
easily. widespread dissemination of printed works –
 Johannes Gutenberg – German inventor and craft books, tracts, posters and papers – gave direct rise
man who introduced letterpress printing to Europe to the European Renaissance.
with his movable type of printing press.  The Reformation that began in Germany in the
early 16th century, led to the Bible being printed in
PRE – GUTENBERG PERIOD the languages common to people. Gutenberg’s
 During the Middle Ages in Europe, most people invention led inevitably to the Protestant revolution,
lived in small, isolated villages. the Age of Enlightenment, the development of
 For most people, the only source of both religious Modern Science and Universal Education.
and worldly information was the village Catholic  The local press is in sharp circulation decline, and
priest in the pulpit. News passed from one person the online advertising businesses have moved to
to another, often in the form of rumor. Google and Facebook and others.
 Almost no one could read or write the language  The emergence of the internet and the World Wide
they spoke. Those few who were literate usually Web in the 1990s was initially hailed by many as
went on to master Latin, the universal language of ushering in new democratic age, driven by much
scholarship, the law, and the Roman Catholic greater access to information.
Church.
 Scribes, often monks living in monasteries, each PARADOXES OF TECHNOLOGY
labored for up to a year to copy a single book, Empowerment vs Enslavement - New
usually in Latin. technologies allow us to be connected to and reachable by
 Before the discovery of printing press, books in everyone. However, as a result, our privacy is threatened
Europe were typically handwritten manuscripts and technology starts controlling us. Whether we want or
while paper money, playing cards, posters, and the not, we feel socially obliged to take phone calls, answer
like were block-printed from hand-carved wooden emails, and send responses to messages on Facebook.
blocks, inked and transferred to paper. This earlier
Independent vs Dependence - New gadgets such
method of reproduction was expensive and time
as cell phones allow us to do many things on our own.
consuming.
However, this situation creates dependency, as we can’t go
GUTERNBERG REVOLUTION even one day without our phones and we feel helpless
 Johannes Gutenberg turned the printing world when the Internet is down.
upside down and brought on a new era of print with
Fulfills needs vs Creates needs - Technology
his revolutionary innovation of movable type in
resolves some problems but also introduces new ones,
1445.
e.g., we need devices with longer battery life, we need
 Movable type printing used metal stamps of single antivirus software to be safe, we need to learn new skills,
letters that could be arranged into words, etc.
sentences and pages of text.
 By 1463, printed Bibles cost one-tenth of hand- Competence vs Incompetence - We can get any
copied Bibles. The demand for books exploded. By information we want and reach anyone we want with the
1500, Europe had more than 1,000 printers and help of new technologies. However, we lose our ability to
7,000 books in print. remember phone numbers and our ability to articulate
 The printing press made it possible to produce thoughts.
books much more quickly and cheaper than ever
before. The printing press had dramatic effects on Engaging vs Disengaging - When we are
European civilization and its more immediate effect engaged in an activity that involves the use of new
was to spread information quickly and accurately technology, we need to disengage from whatever we are
and this gradually helped to create a much wider doing. We directly interact with our family and loved ones
literate reading public. The printing press was also less frequently because we tend to engage more in new
a factor in the establishment of a community of portable technology tools.
scientists who could easily communicate their
Public vs Private - New technologies blur the line
discoveries through widely disseminated scholarly
between what is public and what is private. People may talk
journals, helping to bring on the scientific
on the phone or message someone among a circle of
revolution. Because of the printing press,
acquaintances, which may be disturbing.
authorship became more meaningful and
profitable. Illusion vs Disillusion - We tend to think new
 Like the internet, books spread new ideas quickly communication technologies make our lives better.
and sped up the process of change. Books also However, the more we communicate, the more trivial our
planted the seeds of democracy and human rights conversations become. In other words, more
in the next generation of thinkers. communication does not always equal better
 Newspapers and pamphlets generated information communication.
and ideas even faster.
 The printing Renaissance opened the realm of  This changed with two developments. First, the
learning and reading to the local populations as spread of broadband internet access made it
schools were built and books about education were possible to easily both upload and download all
written and print published. forms of media: video, images and audio as well as
 Literacy began to rise as well as the types of just text and transactions. Second, tools emerged
information people could be exposed to. which made it simple for people to publish or
spread information. Blogging was the first example,
 followed by social networking and distribution and habitat—whether it is a forest, coral reef,
sharing sites like YouTube and Flickr. grassland, or flowing river—will kill the individuals
 This trend is responsible for creating forms of in the species. Remove the entire habitat and the
collective intelligence and what has been called species will become extinct, unless they are among
‘crowd wisdom’ and is probably the most important the few species that do well in human-built
area to watch going forwards because of its ability environments.
to allow individuals to create the trust and  Overharvesting - Overhunting, overfishing and
connections necessary to transact and over-harvesting contribute greatly to the loss of
communicate amongst themselves without any biodiversity, killing off numerous species over the
institutionalized intervention. past several hundred years. Poaching and other
forms of hunting for profit increase the risk of
extinction; the extinction of an apex predator — or,
CHAPTER 8: BIODIVERSITY AND HEALTHY SOCIETY a predator at the top of a food chain — can result
 Biological diversity or biodiversity is the variety of in catastrophic consequences for ecosystems.
life, and refers collectively to variation at all levels  Invasive species - Exotic species are species that
of biological organization. The term l refers to the have been intentionally or unintentionally
full abundance or variety of life – plant, animal and introduced by humans into an ecosystem in which
microbial. they did not evolve. These exotic species often
 Genetic, species and ecosystem diversity are undergo dramatic population increases in their new
convenient terms but because the universe is a habitat and reset the ecological conditions in the
continuum, some practical difficulties exist in new environment, threatening the species that
precisely defining each of them. exist there. When this happens, the exotic species
also becomes an invasive species. Invasive
BIODIVERSTY AND HEALTHY SOCIETY
species can threaten other species through
 Biodiversity is the foundation of human health. By competition for resources, predation, or disease.
securing the life-sustaining goods and services  Climate change - Climate change, and specifically
which biodiversity provides to us, the conservation the anthropogenic warming trend presently
and sustainable use of biodiversity can provide underway, is recognized as a major extinction
significant benefits for human health. threat, particularly when combined with other
 Biodiversity supports food security, dietary threats such as habitat loss. Anthropogenic
health, livelihood sustainability - Genetic warming of the planet has been observed and is
diversity in food systems provides the foundation of due to past and continuing emission of greenhouse
crop development and food security, and promotes gases, primarily carbon dioxide and methane, into
resistance and resilience to environmental stresses the atmosphere caused by the burning of fossil
including pests and diseases of crops and fuels and deforestation.
livestock.
 Biodiversity provides important resources for GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS (GMOs)
medical research - Studies of wildlife anatomy,  Biotechnology is a set of techniques that involves
physiology and biochemistry can lead to important the use of biological processes and living
developments in human medicine. Examples of organisms for industry, agricultural or other
species of interest to medical science include activities. Its purpose is to modify the natural and
bears (for insights into osteoporosis, cardio- biological processes of living organisms without
vascular disorders, renal disease and diabetes), necessarily altering the genes or genetic construct
sharks (osmoregulation and immunology), of the living organisms. It has four major industrial
cetaceans (respiration and treatments for divers processes based on biological systems, namely
suffering from decompression sickness) and horse- cell and tissue culture, fermentation, enzyme
shoe crabs (optometry/ophthalmology and technology, and genetic engineering – also referred
molecular biology). to as modern technology.
 Biodiversity provides important resources for  Genetic engineering or recombinant DNA
traditional and modern medicine - Biodiversity (deoxyribonucleic acid) technology differs from
loss can impact on community traditions and other forms of biotechnology as it allows the
livelihoods centered on traditional medicinal isolation and transfer of genes coding specific
practices that utilize wild animals and plants, characteristics between living organisms to
particularly for indigenous and local communities. produce a new living organism that expresses the
 Biodiversity plays a role in the regulation and desired characteristics of both organisms.
control of infectious diseases - Biodiversity loss Genetically modified organisms or GMOs is the
and ecosystem change can increase the risk of common term used for genetically engineered
emergence or spread of infectious diseases in organisms.
animals, plants and humans, including
economically important livestock diseases, INTENDED USES OF GMOs
zoonotic outbreaks and global pandemics. In  Biomedical - Used as specific models for many
recent years outbreaks of SARS, Ebola, Marburg, different human diseases, including multiple
Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, avian influenza infectious diseases, such as HIV, immune system
and malaria have been attributed to human defects, blood and metabolic disorders, muscular
impacts on biodiversity, the wildlife trade or dystrophy, cancer immunotherapies among others.
unsustainable land use change.  Farm/Food Animals - Engineering of animals
 Biodiversity has social, cultural and spiritual used for food. Examples include, chickens
importance within communities - Ecosystem producing only female offspring for egg laying,
change can result in disconnection of populations cows producing only male offspring for better meat
from open spaces or the wider countryside, with yield, pigs who can be fattened with less food,
negative implications for physical and mental well- cashmere goats for producing more meat from
being and loss of “sense of place”. This has been greater muscle mass and longer hair for wool yield;
linked to an increased prevalence of ‘disease of and efforts to facilitate greater stocking density,
affluence’ (diabetes, obesity, cardio-pulmonary such as cattle without horns and animals with
illness) and psychological disorders in many greater resistance to disease.
communities. Conversely, access to ‘greenspace’  Agriculture - Genetic engineering provides a
(natural and artificial) are associated with better quicker and more precise way to achieve the same
health outcomes, shorter hospital visits and goal in one generation. Genetically modified crops
reduced convalescence time for patients than offer improved yields, enhanced nutritional value,
purely urban environments. longer shelf life, and resistance to drought, frost, or
insect pests. Examples of GM crops include corn
THREATS TO BIODIVERSITY varieties containing a gene for a bacterial pesticide
 Habitat loss - Humans rely on technology to that kills larval pests, and soybeans with an
modify their environment and make it habitable. inserted gene that renders them resistant to weed-
Other species cannot do this. Elimination of their killers.
  “GMO” (genetically modified organism) has a natural selection pressure causing them to
become the common term consumers and popular evolve distinct resistant populations.
media use to describe foods that have been o Ecosystem Impacts. - The effects of changes in a
created through genetic engineering. single species may extend well beyond to the
ecosystem. Single impacts are always joined by
Genetic engineering is a process that involves: the risk of ecosystem damage and destruction.
o Impossibility of Follow-up. - Once the GMOs
 Identifying the genetic information – or “gene” –
have been introduced into the environment and
that gives an organism (plant, animal or
some problems arise, it is impossible to eliminate
microorganism) a desired trait.
them. Many of these risks are identical to those
 Copying the information from the organism that
incurred with regards to the introduction of
has the trait.
naturally or conventionally bred species.
 Inserting that information into the DNA of another o Horizontal Transfer of Recombinant Genes to
organism.
other Microorganisms. - One risk of particular
concern relating to GMOs is the risk of horizontal
gene transfer (HGT). HGT is the acquisition of
foreign genes (via transformation, transduction,
and conjugation) by organisms in a variety of
Some Genetically Modified Organisms developed in the environmental situations. It occurs especially in
Philippines response to changing environments and provides
organisms, especially prokaryotes, with access to
 Longer-lasting papayas. Institute of Plant
genes other than those that can be inherited.
Breeding in UPLB developed delayed-ripening
o Loss of Management Control Measures.
papaya that is resistant to ring-spot virus (PRSV).
ACC synthase triggers ethylene production, which Regulatory approvals for field trials of GMOs often
causes ripening of fruits. require measures to limit and control the release in
 Protein enriched copra meal (PECM) as feed space and time.
protein for tilapia, milkfish and shrimp o Long-term Effects. - Sometimes the impact of
aquaculture. Primarily used as animal feed, copra HGT may be more severe in the long term. Even
meal is an important feed resource in the under relatively strong selection pressure, it may
Philippines. take thousands of generations for a recipient
organism to become the dominant form in the
To address the issue on high cost of soybean population.
importation and to ensure the quality of animal feeds, o Antibiotic Resistance and Horizontal Gene
the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Transfer. - Most of the first generation of GM crops
Natural Resources Research and Development of the have antibiotic resistance gene as selectable
Department of Science and Technology marker.
(DOSTPCARRD) supported research and development
(R&D) programs on feed resources under its Industry GMOs AND BIODIVERSITY
Strategic Science and Technology (S&T) Program  The impact of GMOs on biodiversity is widely
(ISP). One of the program’s accomplishments is the debated. Pro-GMO researchers maintain that if
use of formulated feeds for swine, poultry and aquatic crops are genetically modified for pest resistance,
animals with Protein Enriched Copra Meal (PECM) that farmers can reduce their reliance on insecticides,
was developed by the National Institute of Molecular so that local fauna, such as birds, rodents, and
Biology and Biotechnology of the University of the insects, can flourish in the area. Secondary pests
Philippines Los Banos (UPLB-BIOTECH). that would have been eliminated through
widespread insecticide application are not
 Tomato Leaf Curve Virus (ToLCV) - resistant suppressed by the scaled-back insecticide use
Variety. The Institute of Plant Breeding (IPB) of the permitted GMOs.
University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB) has
developed tomato breeding line resistant to tomato CHAPTER 9: The Nano World
leaf curl virus (ToLCV) in the hope of reviving What is Nanotechnology?
tomato’s robust production in the country. Tomato
was the leading vegetable crop in the country in  Nano is a prefix used in the metric scale to
terms of area planted until 1990. Virus diseases, represent one billionth. A nanometer (nm) is one
including ToLCV, are considered the most billionth of a meter. Nano comes from the Greek
damaging to tomato production worldwide. word for dwarf, so in combination with technology,
 Bt corn - Bt corn in the Philippines was engineered it becomes dwarf technology.
to be specifically resistant to the Asian corn borer  People refer to nanotechnology as “tiny tech” or
(ACB), Ostrinia furnacalis (Guenee), the most “nanotech”. It represents the scaling down of
devastating corn pests in the industry. It was technology to a new scale, generally agreed to be
introduced as a “practical and ecologically in the range of 1 to 100 nm.
sustainable solution” for poor corn farmers, a major
bullet to combat poverty and improve livelihood. Applications of Nanotechnology in All Fields of Science

RISKS RELATED TO THE USE OF GENETICALLY  The early 2000’s saw the beginning of commercial
MODIFIED ORGANISMS (GMOs) applications of nanotechnology, although these
o Genetic Contamination/Interbreeding. - were limited to bulk applications of nanomaterial
Introduced GMOs may interbreed with the wildtype rather than the transformative applications
or sexually compatible relatives. The novel trait envisioned by the field.
may disappear in wild types unless it confers a Application of Nanotechnology in all fields of science
selective advantage to the recipient. However, - Electronics. Single electron transistor (SET), spin
tolerance abilities of wild types may also develop, valves and magnetic tunnel junctions (MT)s are
thus altering the native species’ ecological based on nanotechnology. Spin valve-type devices
relationship and behavior. are already being used in personal computers to
o Competition with Natural Species. - Faster “read discs,” which has enabled the increase of
growth of GMOs can enable them to have a data storage capacity of hard discs.
competitive advantage over the native organisms. - Energy. Carbon nanomaterial (CNM) has been
This may allow them become invasive, to spread used in improving the efficacy of lithium secondary
into new habitats, and cause ecological and batteries, supercapacitors and in hydrogen
economic damage. storage.
o Increased Selection Pressure on Target and - Environment. Nanomaterials-based sensors
Non-target Organisms. - Pressure may increase would be smart sensors, i.e., they will be able to
on target and non-target species to adapt to the detect and rectify problems. Such sensors are
introduced changes as if to a geological change or being developed for water purification systems,
 detection of toxic ions, metal ions, pesticides, etc., 2. Gene transfer method
and their remediation on a larger scale. o There are 3 physical, chemical, and
- Automobiles. Nano sensors will help in assessing biological methods of gene transfer.
emissions from the vehicle and help in controlling 3. Gene transfer to specific cell line
pollutants. Car paints/coatings using nanoparticle o This line is divided into 2 general
are being used to provide smooth, thin attractive categories of somatic gene therapy, and
coatings that are scratch resistant, can repel dirt sex cell gene therapy.
and are anti-reflective. “Self-cleaning” glass for 4. The adoption of the most appropriate genetic
windows is being fabricated by dissolving a small engineering (gene injection)
amount of titania (TiO2) nanoparticles. o Other forms of genetic engineering include
- Agriculture and Food. Application in combating gene targeting and the elimination of
plant diseases: • Controlled delivery of functional specific genes through nuclease
molecules Nanoparticles used as Trojan horse for engineering.
delivery of active ingredients.
- Industries. Industries are involved in developing Stem Cell Therapy
and producing nanomaterials to obtain
nanobioproducts for bone substitutes and dentistry; A stem cell therapy is any treatment that uses stem
antimicrobial applications in various products; food cells as the primary way of curing or reducing the
and cosmetic applications; applications in textiles, severity of a disease or disorder. There are two
paints, catalysis, lubricants, fuel cells and batteries; main ways stem cells can be used:
all of which are part of major industrial production.
1. as a transplant, where the desired stem cells are
- Textiles. Special threads and dyes used in the
harvested either from the patient or a donor and
textile industry are products of nanotechnology.
refined or modified in some way before being
These clothes do not require ironing or frequent
injected or grafted into the patient, or
cleaning. Use of silver (Ag) nanoparticles in
2. as a target for a drug or other biologic where the
washing machines remove the germs from clothes
drug or biologic is intended to activate a desired
while washing. Masks made of fabrics coated with
response from the stem cells that already exist in
nanoparticles for protection against microbes are
the patient’s tissues or organs.
already on the market.
- Cosmetics. Nanoliposomes are used as vesicular CHAPTER 11: Climate Change, Energy Crisis and
delivery systems. Liposomes are concentric bilayer Environmental Awareness
vesicles. The first liposomal cosmetic was the anti-  Climate change is a broad range of global
aging cream “Capture” manufactured by Dior. phenomena created predominantly by burning
- Domestic Appliances. Nano porous aerogel fossil fuels, which add heat-trapping gases to
insulator is excellent for insulating walls. Flame- Earth’s atmosphere. These phenomena include the
retardant furniture coatings are on the market increased temperature trends described by global
which are synthesized carbon nanofibers. Fishing warming, but also encompass changes such as
rods are made stronger and lighter using silica sea level rise; ice mass loss; shifts in flower/plant
nanoparticles to fill spaces between carbon fibers. blooming; and extreme weather events.
- Diagnostics and Therapeutics. Nanomedicine  On Earth, human activities are changing the
researchers are looking at ways that natural greenhouse. Over the last century the
nanotechnology can improve vaccines, including burning of fossil fuels like coal and oil has
vaccine delivery without the use of needles. increased the concentration of atmospheric carbon
Researchers also are working to create a universal dioxide (CO2).
vaccine scaffold for the annual flu vaccine that - Greenhouse gas emissions
would cover more strains and require fewer  Evidence that CO2 emissions are the cause of
resources to develop each year. global warming is very robust.
- Environmental Aspects of Nanotechnology - Earth’s natural climate cycle
- Triclosan, commonly found in antimicrobial soaps  Over the last 800,000 years, there have been
and cleaning products, is among many consumer- natural cycles in the Earth’s climate, between ice
used chemicals found in the river and drinking ages and warmer interglacial periods.
water sources. - Solar influences
- Antimicrobial resistance is a big problem because  The sun is the primary source of Earth’s heat, so
bacteria are no longer susceptible to the relatively small changes in solar output can affect
treatments developed to kill them, and outbreaks our climate.
can occur that cannot be managed.
Impacts on Vulnerability and Equity
CHAPTER 10: Gene Therapy 1. Geographic Location
 The genes in the body’s cells play an important • Population in coastal areas are more sensitive to
role in your health – indeed, a defective gene or storms, drought, air pollution and heat waves. •
genes can make someone sick. Population in mountainous areas will likely face
 Cells are the basic building blocks of all living water shortages and increased wildfires in the
things. The human body is composed of trillions of future.
them. • Arctic residents will likely experience problems
 In gene therapy, scientist can do one of several caused by thawing permafrost.
things depending on the problem that is present. 2. Ability to cope
Gene therapy can be used to modify cells inside or • People who live in poverty may have a difficult
outside the body. time coping with changes. These people have
limited financial resources to cope with heat,
 In order to insert new genes directly into cells,
relocate or evacuate, or respond to increases in
scientists use a vehicle called a “vector” which is
the cost of food.
genetically engineered to deliver the gene.
• Older adults may be among the least able to cope
Approaches to Gene Therapy with impacts of climate change.
• Elderly people are particularly prone to heat
1. Gene Modification
stress.
o Researchers have used the following
• Young children are another sensitive age group,
methods to modify defective genes:
since their immune system and other bodily
 Replacement treatment: Replacing a systems are still developing and they rely on others
natural gene with a non-natural gene to care for them in disaster situations.
through homologous recombination. 3. Indigenous people
 Modifier gene therapy: Restoring natural • Climate change will make it harder for tribes to
function to a defective gene through access safe and nutritious food, including
selective reverse mutation. traditional foods important to many tribes’ cultural
 Adjustment of the expression of a specific practices. Many tribes already lack access to safe
gene.
 drinking water and wastewater treatment in their
communities.
4. Urban People
• City residents and urban infrastructure have
distinct sensitivities to climate change impacts. For
example, heat waves may be amplified in cities
because cities absorb more heat during the day
than suburban and rural areas. Cities are more
densely populated than suburban or rural areas.
5. Impacts on Economic Activities and Services
• Communities that developed around the
production of different agricultural crops, such as
corn, wheat or cotton, depend on the climate to
support their way of life.
• Climate change will also likely affect tourism and
recreational activities. A warming climate and
changes in precipitation patterns will likely
decrease the number of days when recreational
snow activities such as skiing and snowmobiling
can take place.
 In 1992, the United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change (UNFCC) was adopted as the
basis for a global response to the problem. The
Philippines signed the UNFCCC on 12 June 1992
and ratified the international treaty on 2 August
1994. Presently, the Convention enjoys near
universal membership with 194 Country Parties.