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Textbook Article
Pandemics — Is the Next One on the Way?
Updated August 31, 2009 — Imagine that a new virus emerges and people have no immunity. There is no vaccine. If this were to happen, there could be mandatory travel restrictions, quarantines, and social distancing—including staying out of all crowded places. In the United States alone, such an outbreak could kill up to 2 million people. But how can such a virus emerge, and how can we prepare for it?
Textbook Article
Genetically Modified Foods — Do Potential Problems Outweigh Benefits?
Updated August 31, 2009 — There is a food fight going on, and you may need to choose a side. Genetically modified (GM) foods have been on the market since the early 1990s, and today most foods in U.S. grocery stores have GM ingredients. But the wide availability of GM food also raises concerns on topics ranging from health to the environment. Should you be worried about eating GM foods?
Textbook Article
Global Warming — Changing the Planet
Updated August 31, 2009 — Polar bears are beginning to drown. In the summer, the area of arctic sea ice on which these carnivores hunt seals has declined 10 to 15 percent as worldwide temperatures rise. As this ice is lost, polar bears must swim as far as 100 kilometers (about 60 mi) to find their prey. Some of these polar bears do not make it. If global warming is changing the shape of one of Earth’s coldest regions, how will it affect the rest of our planet?
Textbook Article
When Knowledge and Ethics Collide
Updated August 6, 2009 — Our ability to change living things grows as we learn more about life. But sometimes biotechnology makes us question whether we should change organisms just because we can. Maybe the technology is dangerous or maybe it challenges our values. Consider the greenish pig in the photo. A gene from a fluorescent jellyfish was added to its genome by genetic engineering. Genetic engineering holds great promise for medicine. But how and when should we alter an organism’s genes?
Textbook Article
Drug-Resistant Bacteria — A Global Health Issue
Updated August 6, 2009 — A bicyclist falls, scrapes his knees, and within a few days is unable to walk. Soccer players with turf burns suddenly find themselves in the hospital with skin infections that require intravenous antibiotics. Why are these young, healthy athletes developing such serious infections?
Textbook Article
The Loss of Biodiversity
Updated July 23, 2009 — Extinction is occurring at a rate that is 1000 times faster than any time in the past 100,000 years. Wide swathes of rain forest are being destroyed as humans develop the land for agriculture and other human needs. Because rain forests are areas with high biodiversity, each time an acre of land is lost, species that once lived there may be lost as well. Why is biodiversity important? How does its loss affect you?
Textbook Article
Brain Science — We Are Wired to Learn!
Updated June 25, 2009 — Your brain has more than 100 billion cells, called neurons. Together, the neurons in your brain are so powerful that they can process more information than the most powerful existing computer can in the same amount of time. Your brain can accomplish so much because you’ve spent years— every second of your life—learning from and interpreting the world around you.
Textbook Article
Stem Cell Research — Potential Solutions, Practical Challenges
Updated June 19, 2009 — A news program asks viewers to vote online: "Should stem cell research be banned? Yes or no?" Some people claim that stem cell therapy will revolutionize medicine. Others believe that some types of stem cell research violate ethical standards and are not justified by the potential benefits. Between these two positions exists a wide range of ideas about what is or is not acceptable. Would you know how to vote?
Textbook Article
Medical Technology — The Genetic Forefront
Updated March 19, 2009 — A college student comes down with the flu. Worried about missing class, he goes to an emergency clinic and is given a prescription for an antiviral flu drug. Thirty minutes after taking the first pill, he is gasping for breath and his heart is racing. He is rushed to the hospital, where doctors tell him he has had an adverse reaction to his antiviral medication.