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CRISPR-Cas9 is a genome editing tool that is creating a buzz in the science world. It is faster, cheaper and more accurate than previous techniques of editing DNA and has a wide range of potential applications. It is currently the simplest, most versatile and precise method of genetic manipulation and is therefore causing a buzz in the science world. The CRISPR-Cas9 system consists of two key molecules that introduce a change (mutation) into the DNA. These are: an enzyme called Cas9. This acts as a pair of ‘molecular scissors’ that can cut the two strands of DNA at a specific location in the genome so that bits of DNA can then be added or removed. a piece of RNA called guide RNA (gRNA). This consists of a small piece of pre-designed RNA sequence (about 20 bases long) located within a longer RNA scaffold. The scaffold part binds to DNA and the pre-designed sequence ‘guides’ Cas9 to the right part of the genome. This makes sure that the Cas9 enzyme cuts at the right point in ...

WATER TURNOVER AND BALANCE The body possesses tremendous capacity to regulate its water content. In a healthy individual, this is achieved by balancing the daily water intake and water output. Water intake Water is supplied to the body by exogenous and endogenous sources. Exogenous water : Ingested water and beverages, water content of solid foods constitute the exogenous source of water. Water intake is highly variable which may range from 0.5-5 litres. It largely depends on the social habits and climate. In general, people living in hot climate drink more water. Ingestion of water is mainly controlled by a thirst centre located in the hypothalamus. Increase in the osmolality of plasma causes increased water intake by stimulating thirst centre. Endogenous water: The metabolic water produced within the body is the endogenous water. This water (300-350 ml/day) is derived from the oxidation of foodstuffs. It is estimated that 1 each of carbohydrate, protein and fat, respectiv...

Microbiology is the branch of biology that studies microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa, and algae. It involves the study of their structure, growth, development, metabolism, genetics, and interactions with other organisms and the environment. Microorganisms are ubiquitous and have a significant impact on human health, agriculture, industry, and the environment. Microbiologists use various techniques and tools, such as microscopy, culturing, molecular biology, and bioinformatics, to study microorganisms and their functions. Some areas of microbiology research include: - Medical microbiology: the study of microorganisms that cause infectious diseases in humans and the development of treatments and vaccines to fight them. - Environmental microbiology: the study of microorganisms in their natural habitats, such as soil, water, and air, and their interactions with other organisms and the environment. - Industrial microbiology: the use of microorganisms f...

Why Humans are important on Earth ? Humans are important because except human being all other creatures play supportive role to this mother nature. Human can display more supportive role than any other creatures provided they understand and follow their intrinsic instinct which is divine in nature. Alas if it had happened, this world would've been paradise. Unfortunately human being due to their insatiable greed and selfishness are hell bent on destroying the climate and surrounding. They kill other animals and destroy the flora and fauna indiscriminately. Human being is most exquisite creature created by exquisite workmanship of the God. Like other creatures, human also has been created to support the nature and if human become spiritual, everything will be in perfect balance. Earth does not in anyway, shape, or form require humans or any other type of animal to “survive” at all. Over 99% of Earth’s history was without humans, there’s absolutely no reason to think why...

Why Biochemistry is important to Biotechnology? Biochemistry is the study of chemical processes taking place within living organisms, biotechnology is the ultimate product of these discoveries, allowing the identified biochemical processes to be exploited for technological purposes, or better observed and analyzed in situ using biotechnical means. Imagine you discover a micro-organism which have the ability to decay polyvinyl chloride (PVC). You reckon that this organism would be extremely helpful in Bioremediation. Now, you isolate a colony of micro-organism and study every aspect of the organism,their activities, structures, behaviour and how they affect every aspect of our lives; which is known as Microbiology. A branch of science that deals with the study of microorganisms. Similarly, you do a much more deeper research, invest some time into the micro-organism and study the biochemical processes. After some years that Eureka moment arrives & you discover the pathway...

HISTORY OF BIOTECHNOLOGY: People have been harnessing biological processes to improve their quality of life for some 10,000 years, beginning with the first agricultural communities. Approximately 6,000 years ago, humans began to tap the biological processes of microorganisms in order to make bread, alcoholic beverages, and cheese and to preserve dairy products. But such processes are not what is meant today by biotechnology, a term first widely applied to the molecular and cellular technologies that began to emerge in the 1960s and ’70s. A fledgling “biotech” industry began to coalesce in the mid- to late 1970s, led by Genentech, a pharmaceutical company established in 1976 by Robert A. Swanson and Herbert W. Boyer to commercialize the recombinant DNA technology pioneered by Boyer, Paul Berg, and Stanley N. Cohen. Early companies such as Genentech, Amgen, Biogen, Cetus, and Genex began by manufacturing genetically engineered substances primarily for medical and environmental uses. For ...

Evolution and Adaptation Biological evolution is the change in a population's genetic makeup over time. According to scientific evidence, populations of organisms adapt to changes in environmental conditions through biological evolution, known more simply as evolution. Evolution involves the change in a population's genetic makeup through successive generations. Populations not individuals-evolve by becoming genetically different. According to the theory of evolution, all species descended from earlier, ancestral species. In other words, life comes from life. This widely accepted scientific theory explains life has changed over the past 3.7 billion years and why it is so diverse today. Religious and other groups may offer other explanations, but evolution is the accepted scientific explanation. Materials provided by Environmental Science Now ™M

Effects of Human Activities on the  Earth's Biodiversity Human activities are decreasing the earth's biodiversity. Speciation minus extinction equals biodiversity, the planet's genetic raw material for future evolution in response to changing environmental conditions. though extinction is a natural process, humans have become a major force in the premature extinction of species. Al- According to biologists Stuart Primm and Edward O. Wilson, during the 20th century, extinction rates in- creased by 100-1,000 times the natural background extinction rate. As human population and resource con- sumption increase over the next 50-100 years, we are expected to take over a larger share of the earth's sur- face and net primary productivity (NPP) (Figure 3-20, p.50). According to Wilson and Primm, this may cause the premature extinction of at least one-fifth of the earth's current species by 2030 and half of those species by the end of this century. If not checked, this trend ...

Natural selection  Some members of a population may have genetic traits that enhance their ability to survive and produce offspring with these traits. Natural selection occurs when some individuals of a population have genetically based traits that increase their chances of survival and their ability to produce offspring with the same traits. Three conditions are necessary for evolution of a population by natural selection to occur. First, there must be genetic variability for a trait in a population. Second, the trait must be heritable-that is, it can be passed from one generation to another. Third, the trait must lead to differential reproduction-that is, it must enable individuals with the trait to leave more offspring than other members of the population. Note that natural selection acts on individuals, but evolution occurs in populations. An adaptation, or adaptive trait, is any heritable trait that enables an organism to survive and repro- duce better under prevailing environ...

Hi Folks!! Follow me on Instagram https://instagram.com/labinthebox227?igshid=ZDdkNTZiNTM= What Kinds of Organisms Live in Aquatic Life Zones? Aquatic systems contain floating, drifting, swimming, bottom-dwelling, and decomposer organisms. Saltwater and freshwater life zones contain several major types of organisms. One group consists of weakly swimming, free-floating plankton. They con- sist mostly of phytoplankton (plant plankton) and zoo- plankton (animal plankton). A second group of organisms consists of nekton, strongly swimming consumers such as fish, turtles, and whales. A third group, benthos, dwells on the bot- tom. Examples include barnacles and oysters that an- chor themselves to one spot, worms that burrow into the sand or mud, and lobsters and crabs that walk about on the seafloor. A fourth group consists of de- composers (mostly bacteria) that break down the or- ganic compounds in the dead bodies and wastes of aquatic organisms into simple nutrient compounds for use by pr...