Syllabus Bites: Solving world problems with biotechnology

Real-world problems

Plant disease

Plant diseases are now detected, managed and treated because of scientific discoveries summarised by the Victorian Department of Primary Industries.

leafy top of a banana plant with a bunch of bananas

©Jean-Pol GRANDMONT
CC BY-SA 2.5 AU

Watch a video (7 minutes) from Catalyst about genetically modified bananas. GM bananas are grown in Uganda to prevent bacterial infection that causes wilt. Australian scientists have released GM bananas rich in micronutrients, such as iron, to India to help overcome anaemia and vitamin A to reduce blindness in East Africa.

As well as using gene technology to develop disease-resistant plants, biologists are also developing biological pesticides. Cowpeas are a staple crop for over 200 million people in sub-Saharan Africa. Read how CSIRO scientists are developing insect protected cowpeas.

Fruit fly that damage fruit and vegetable crops in eastern Australia are being combated by the release of irradiated, sterile male flies that compete with the normal males for a mate but produce no offspring.

Animal disease

blistered feet and hooves of a pig with foot and mouth disease

Public domain

We now have a range of strategies to prevent, manage and treat animal diseases such foot and mouth disease. These management strategies have been developed because of our scientific understanding of the causes and modes of transmission. Listen to a podcast on the threat of foot and mouth disease.

Many medications developed to treat animal diseases are the result of biotechnology.

Watch how the CSIRO Animal Health Laboratory helps to protect Australian agriculture from animal disease.

Sewage treatment

tank with water overflowing around the rim and brown sludge underneath the water

Public domain

Read a summary of modern wastewater treatment techniques. Biotechnology has been applied to sewage treatment.

The discovery of chlorine and its use as a disinfectant resulted in increased human life expectancy.

Remediation and other waste

CSIRO lists the ways biotechnology is used when dealing with waste. The use of enzyme products (special proteins made by living things) removes pesticides from water.

Toxic sites can be reclaimed using microorganisms and some plants.

two people wearing protective clothing pressure blasing black rocks that are coated in oil

Cleaning up the Exxon Valdez oil spill using traditional methods.
Public domain

Oil spills may be cleaned up more effectively and efficiently using microorganisms mixed with straw. Some genetically modified bacteria have been developed to do the job.

Food Preservation

Play a food preservation game.

Solve a food poisoning mystery–log in to Mystery matters and choose The taste of danger.

Food preservation occurred well before the role of microorganisms in food spoilage was understood. The Australian Academy of Science explains the modern expectations for hygiene and the storage of food.

young lady beside an older lady wearing an apron and showing a bottle of preserves behind a table showing fresh and preserved vegetables

Public domain

Food preservation techniques have changed greatly since World War I. The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) site describes how radiation can be used for food preservation.

Watch the CSIRO video Safer food: from farm to fork.

Hygiene

Hand washing in hospitals

Hygiene practices developed before scientific understanding of the cause of infectious disease. Read about how Ignaz Semmelweis transformed hospital practice and drastically reduced deaths from childbed fever in the 1850’s before germs had been discovered.

Food poisoning

Hygiene is particularly important in the preparation of food (see the Food preservation tab). This Australian Academy of Science text explains how to prevent food poisoning.

How germ theory developed

This video shows how Jenner discovered the first vaccine and how Pasteur and Koch contributed to this discovery.

View this slideshow to learn more about the work of Pasteur, Koch and others to discover the cause of infectious disease.