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.

Abhyaas App For JEE, NEET Preparation

NTA has launched  a new app named ‘National Test Abhyaas’ for providing mock tests to the JEE and NEET candidates.

The JEE and NEET exams were postponed due to the covid 19  pandemic and  nationwide lockdown. The app has been launched to help students to prepare for these highly competitive tests, which have since been rescheduled.

Now, JEE-Mains exam will be  conducted from 18 to 23 July, while NEET 2020 will be held on 26 July.

Students can download this app from Google Play Store.

by.Ashwani.bio teacher Phagwara.

JIPMER ADMISSIONS THROUGH NEET 2020

This academic year, the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) has issued a clarification regarding admission in MBBS Coursein .

In  notice, the institute clearly stated that admission to MBBS-2020 Course will be based on NEET UG  to be conducted by National Testing Agency (NTA) and not by JIPMER Puducherry.

This year, the admission to MBBS course in AIIMS and  JIPMER a will be made through NEET.

This is as per the provisions the Section (14) of the National Medical Commission Act, 2019, which provides for holding of a common a National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to the undergraduate medical courses in all medical institutions .Therefore, the admission to MBBS course in JIPMER Puducherry and JIPEMR Karaikal will be made through NEET(UG) .National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill, 2019 which is going to replace the Medical Council of India (MCI).
By.Ashwani
bio teacher
Phagwara
9646388266

Medical admisdions are not as per rank in NEET

In 2019 there were only about 61,000 seats to be filled but those who got admission had rank as low as  8.45 lakh. That raises the question -- If lakhs of students with much higher scores do not get admission but someone at the bottom does, can these admissions be called rank based.

This is happening because of very high fee in  private colleges where students with very low scores have got admission, the annual fee ranges from Rs 16 lakh to Rs 20 lakh for regular seats. For NRI seats, it goes up to Rs 30 lakh per year. The cost of the MBBS course in such colleges is more than one crore Rs .A large number of students with high scores  can not afford this much high fee and they do not take admission in these colleges.

By.Ashwani
bio teacher
Phagwara
9646388266

NEET UG Exam Pattern

The NEET UG exam will be objective in nature and will be OMR-based.

The paper will be held from 2 pm to 5 pm. The question paper will have 45 questions from Physics and same number of questions from Chemistry . For the Biology part, there will be 90 questions.

Each question will have  4 marks and one mark will be deducted for every wrong answer.So there is negative marking too.

 Syllabus

NEET  syllabus is not exactly the same as that po class11 and 12 of  CBSE based. Rather, exam will be based on the syllabus prescribed by Medical Council of India (MCI). The syllabus has been prepared keeping in view the syllabi of CBSE and state boards.

 Result

NEET result will be declared on June 4, 2020. TNTA will mention candidate's marks in the exam and their All India Ranks.

 Counselling

There are 533 medical colleges in India for MBBS course and the number of  seats is 78,848. There are 313 dental colleges offering BDS course with 26,949  seats.

The counselling process will be held separately for 15% all India Quota and remaining state quota seats. The counselling for All India seats is held by Medical Counselling Committee and for state quota seats is held by  state medical education authority of each state.

BY.ASHWANI
BIO TEACHER
PHAGWARA
9646388266

Madras High Court on NEET Inequality

In a data submitted by the Tamil Nadu government to the Madras High Court  it was revealed that only 2.1% of the students admitted into medical colleges in 2019 had passed the NEET exam without enrolling in private coaching centres. High Court observed that NEET had adversely affected the poor students and treated ‘unequals as equals. On one side ,3033 students secured MBBS seats by enrolling in private coaching ‘shops’, while only 48 students secured the seats without it. Thus, only 1.55% of the students in government medical colleges cleared the exams without getting coaching from private centres. In self-financing colleges, the percentage of students who secured medical seats without coaching was 3.15%.

The panel  of Tamil Nadu High Court asked why the present central government,did not scrap NEET. The panel revealed that private coaching institutes chargeanywhere between `2.5 lakh and `5 lakh. Therefore, the doors of most medical colleges were closed to poor students.The court remarked  “It is shocking to note that only negligible candidates have got admission without undergoing coaching. This means that medical education is not available to the poor,” said the court.

 By.Ashwani.Bio teacher Phagwara 9646388266.