APPLICATIONS OF BIOLOGY
During last couple of centuries, our knowledge of biology has expanded at a fast rate. Two hundred years ago, the average person in UK had life expectancy of about 4 5years. Tuberculosis, small pox, cholera, plague and typhoid all have taken millions of human beings to graveyards. People did not know anything about bacteria or virus, there was no effective sewage treatment and clean water was a rare commodity. Malnutrition was common: many people survived by growing of their own crops but they knew nothing about photosynthesis or plant physiology.
At the time of millennium, we take for granted many of the greatest advances in biology and medicine. Relatively few people in the more developed countries now die from diseases caused by other organisms. The average life expectancy of someone born in UK is currently about 80 years. Many killer disease are either very rare or have been controlled completely, as in case of Small pox.
In modern times, treatment of diseases has become possible by chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
With increase in knowledge, many targets have been achieved. Disease free crops, vegetables and fruits have been introduced. In order to increase milk and meat production, the potential of animal breeds have been increased.
HYDROPONICS: Hydroponics may be defined as “: cultivation of plants in nutrient solutions without use of soil”. This kind of soil less cultivated of plants began in the 1930s as an outgrowth of the culture techniques used by plant physiologists in plant nutrition experiments. This type of cultivation has many advantages such as
1. It is best to control weed plants.
2. It is best to control those diseases which are produced due to soil
3. This method saves the area for cultivation
4. In addition to the dry land more area is available for growing crops etc.
WHAT IS CLONING?
Cloning is an asexual method of creating an exact copy of living cells, organs and organisms. The copies produced through cloning are 100 percent same of the organism, which has been cloned.
Cloning in not a new thing. It occurs in nature since centuries. Many organisms in nature reproduce by cloning. Scientists have only used cloning techniques in the laboratory to create copies of cells or organisms. Many people are concerned about the ethical aspect of cloning, but fact is that through cloning, many problems of human beings may be solved. For example, through cloning, many diseases may be treated. Insulin may be cloned to control diabetic disease. Growth hormones may be cloned to save some one from dwarfism. Through cloning, body organs may also be cloned and used in transplantation.
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