What is Synthetic biology? (Synthetic Biology Vs Biotechnology)

What is Synthetic biology?

(Synthetic Biology Vs Biotechnology)

Synthetic Biology is the discipline of biology by which the biologists can create organisms not found in nature or remake the existing organisms with the aim of producing new products.

 Synthetic Biology differs from biotechnology. In biotechnology the scientists change the existing genetic material of organism by adding or removing one or more genes and the source of new added genes is another naturally existing organism. But in synthetic biology, whole genome or large section of DNA coding for specific metabolic pathway is synthetically prepared in lab from raw material and it is introduced in some naturally existing organism to replace the naturally existing genetic material. As the genetic material is synthesized, not taken from some organism, therefore it is called synthetic Biology. 

Synthetic Biology has potential far more than biotechnology. In biotechnology we can only change few  genes to produce a modified organism but in synthetic biology whole-genome can be changed thus producing altogether new organism not hitherto existing in nature. Synthetic Biology is an extreme of biotechnology. 

Synthetic Biology is nicknamed 'synbio'.

Synthetic biologists have produced yeast producing squalane which is used in moisturizers. Normally on fermentation yeast produces alcohol but scientists have synthesized new genetic code programmed to produce squalene on fermentation. No yeast in nature have genes producing squalene on fermentation.

 By synbio  whole new metabolic Pathways have been created in bacteria, algae and yeast to make them living chemical factories. These synthetic microorganisms on fermentation produce useful products like vanilla, rose oil, saffron oil and more.

 Synthetic organisms are simple as they have no unnecessary genetic material, where as genetically modified organisms created by biotechnologists have all non functional or extra DNA that is naturally found in them.

  Genetically modified organisms are created by biotechnologists by cutting and pasting DNA whereas synthetic biology synthesise whole new DNA sequence.

The concern about synthetic biology is that it produces new types of organisms not existing in nature. It introduces those genes in organisms which are not found in nature in that organism and evem may not be present in the organisms on planet earth. These new organisms new genes can have possibly harmful effect on human life or other organisms and on our environment.

By.Ashwani

Biology Teacher

Phagwara.Pb 

9646388266.

 Pink Ice an Environmental Concern 

By.Ashwani.Phagwara.Pb A h

Recently pink ice appeared on Presena glacier  of Italy. Environmental scientists are worried about it because according to them it can speed up the melting of glaciers. Actually the pinkish colour is due to an algae Ancylonema nordenskioeldii. This algae had also turned ice  in Southwest Greenland pink .This colour of  this algae is due to carotenoid photosynthetic pigments. Normally the clean whitish ice reflects 80% of solar radiation but the coloured photosynthetic pigments in plants are made to absorb maximum sunlight. They absorb sunlight out of which very small amount is used in photosynthesis rest of sunlight just heats the plant.Here the algae pigment absorbs sunlight and their body becomes heated. This heat is transferred to surrounding ice which  speeds up melting of ice. Actally any thing that darkens the ice increases the melting speed of light.darker the colour more more sun rays will be absorbed hence more will be the heating effect.

 This year less snowfall and slightly higher temperature than average have resulted in growth of this algae. Experts also link it to global warming. A different variety of the same algae had turned glaciers in Switzerland and purple. The same algae is also growing on Himalayan glaciers .The coloured Algae are speeding up the melting of glaciers.

By.Ashwani Phagwara.Pb. 

WA.9646388266.