Biotechnology

2 Pages 515 Words

S. After listening to my speech, the audience will know 3 ways that biotechnology will help/hurt the future of society.

Introduction:
Have you every received a vaccination from a doctor to prevent the flu? If so, it probably came in the form of a shot that the doctor inserted into your arm and injected you with. This situation may be your worst fear if you are afraid of needles. Have you ever imagined the possibility of receiving the same flu vaccination by eating a carrot or a piece of chicken? Don’t be alarmed, this possibility is closer than you think with the advancement of biotechnology in food products today.

Body:
I. Biotechnology has the reputation of being very new and high tech.
A. In fact, it is possibly the oldest-technology known to man
B. One example would be penicillin, produced by growing mold and extracting the Penicillium
C. It is the same with genetic engineering; domestic pets or farm animals. Selective breeding over many centuries (different animals)

II. So, if biotechnology has been around so long, why all the fuss now? The reason is that we can now do so much more.
A. Now we have gene therapy, enables doctors to change the genes in our own cells (no more disease or mutations)
B. But most people don’t want to be the first person to receive this gene therapy so transgenic mice have been made to carry the diseases so doctors can study them
C. Now we have a way, thanks to biotechnology, that we can study these diseases and mutations and can make new discoveries and treatments for millions of people.

III. Commercial production of genetically modified crops
A. Some of the genetically modified crops being grown in the U.S. include: corn, soybeans, canola, squash and papaya
B. One of the benefits of these crops is that it can substantially increase productivity in the developing world by making it possible to grow crops in areas that cannot currently sustain them. (grown in a d...