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STS: FINAL EXAM REVIEWER
THE GOOD LIFE
• People have different ideas of what
constitutes the good life
• Wrong pursuits may lead to tragic
consequences
• Correct pursuits may lead to flourishing.
• Therefore, be careful what you dream for
SOURCES OF MEANING FOR THE GOOD LIFE
• Wong’s implicit theory research
• Achievement, religion/spirituality, positive
affect, relationships, self-transcendence,
intimacy, self-acceptance, fair treatment.
• Basic needs for mental health and
flourishing.
THE HAPPINESS PURSUIT
• Everybody wants more happiness and
success
• It’s good to know how to optimize happiness
and success
• There are many happiness coaches and
self-help books on the market
RISK FACTORS
• The happiness pursuit becomes one’s
ultimate purpose in life
• Happiness is not guided by a philosophy of
life informed by general principle of
spirituality, and virtue (e.g. Golden Rule)
THE GOLDEN RULES
• CONFUCIUS: What you do not want done to
yourself, do not do to others
• ARISTOTLE: We should behave to others
as we wish others to behave to us.
• BUDDHISM: Hurt not others with that which
pains thyself.
• CHRISTIANITY: Do unto others as you
would have them do unto you.
THE AMERICAN NIGHTMARE
• The pursuit of this good life has ended in
misery and self-destruction for many people.
• Examples: Kurt Cobain, Gwendolyn
Hallsmith, Amy Winehouse, Lindsay
Lohan
WHAT IS THE COMMON CAUSE
• They make personal happiness and success
their ultimate end of life without a moral
compass and without the desire to pursue
inner goodness
DISILLUSION
• King Solomon realized the vanity of success:
• The world will never be enough: “The eye is
not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with
hearing” (Eccl. 1:8).
• It takes more and more to reach the same
level of happiness—addiction, money, etc.
• Nothing in this world can fill the spiritual
vacuum within us.
• Dreams are often broken when reality strikes.
FATE AND CIRCUMSTANCE
• Bad things happen to good people
• Reversal of fortune
• For some people, most days are bad days
(e.g. poverty)
• Lack of opportunities to pursue PERMA
(Seligman, 2011)
THE PERMA MODEL: Scientific Theory of
Happiness
• Positive emotions – Feeling good
• Engagement – Finding flow
• Relationships – Authentic connections
• Meaning – Purposeful existence
• Achievement – Sense of accomplishment
Aristotle: Some people may pursue things that are
good for themselves
ADVANTAGES OF THE MEANING PURSUIT
• Avoids the pitfalls of self-centered pursuit of
happiness and success.
• Sustains us between the highs of inspiration
and the lows of despair.
• Happiness and flourishing will sneak in
through the back door.
• Ability to transform adversities into
opportunities for personal growth.
THE GOOD LIFE IS A VIRTUOUS LIFE
• A meaningful, authentic good life is based on
inner goodness.
• “The end of life is eudaimonia.”—Aristotle
• Eudaimonia means well-being, virtue and
human flourishing.
• To live the good life is to become what we
ought to be as human beings—moral agents
who strive for moral excellence.
ACCORDING TO ARISTOTLE
• His moral theory is teleological.
• Aristotle’s virtue ethics.
• The golden mean to avoid extremes.
• Practical wisdom: the proper end to our
actions and the proper means to our end.
• Four cardinal virtues: prudence, justice,
fortitude, and temperance.
ACCORDING TO CONFUCIUS
• Lived in a tumultuous period of war & conflict.
• Equates the good life with social harmony.
• The need to fit in an ordered society.
• Five cardinal virtues: benevolence,
righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and
faithfulness or loyalty.
• Inner cultivation of virtues leads to world
peace
A SHIFT IN THE NARRATIVE OF THE GOOD
LIFE
• A shift from virtue and ethics to personal
happiness and success.

• An increase in personal freedom and gross
domestic product (GDP).
• Money does not always buy happiness.
IS THERE THE GOOD LIFE WITHOUT INNER
GOODNESS?
• A morally neutral stand on the good life will
lead to risk factors.
• We feel good from doing good.
• We are moral beings living in a moral
universe.
• We cannot flourish without a moral compass.
THE HOLISTIC APPROACH
• The whole is more than the sum of its parts.
• Good people + Good community + World
peace = Good life
THE GOOD LIFE IN TOUGH TIMES
• Finding meaning through a heroic attitude
(Frankl, 1985).
• Accepting what cannot be changed.
• “Every cloud has a silver lining.”
• Transforming adversities through meaning
and faith.
• Reducing stress, depression and anxiety.
• Integrating negatives with positives.
THE GOOD LIFE IS A SPIRITUAL LIFE
• The adaptive advantages of religion and
believing in God.
• A moral compass and answers to the big
questions.
• Belief in an Ultimate Rescuer.
• Hope beyond the grave.
• Significance in mundane activities.
• A meaning-mindset is a faith-filled
perspective.
THE GOOD LIFE IS A BALANCED LIFE
• A single-minded pursuit is not always
beneficial.
• Active engagement needs to be balanced by
rest
• Exclusive love needs to be balanced by
greater love.
• Achievement needs to be balanced by
acceptance.
• Self-transcendence needs to be balanced by
fair treatment.
SOURCES OF MEANING FOR THE GOOD LIFE
• Wong’s implicit theory research.
• Achievement, religion/spirituality, positive
affect, relationships, self-transcendence,
intimacy, self-acceptance, fair treatment.
• Basic needs for mental health and flourishing.
A BALANCED MODEL OF THE GOOD LIFE
• Religion/Spirituality
• Situational and Cultural Context
• Achievement
• Acceptance
• Self-transcendence
• Intimacy
• Relationship
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• Fairness
• Positive Emotion and Well-being
BIODIVERSITY
- BIO - life
- DIVERSITY – variety
- Walter G. Rosen (1985) - defined biodiversity
as the richness in variety and variability of a
species of all living organism in a given habitat
BIODIVERSITY
- The variability among living organisms from all
sources including, inter alia, terrestrial, marine
and other aquatic ecosystems and the
ecological complexes of which they are part;
this includes diversity within species, between
species and of ecosystems.
Where is biodiversity found?
- Biodiversity is essentially everywhere,
ubiquitous on Earth’s surface and in every drop
of its bodies of water.
IMPORTANCE OF BIODIVERSITY
- Stability, Medicinal, Agricultural, Industrial,
Scientific, Ethical, Religious
TAXONOMY
- System devised by Swedish scientist Carl
Linnaeus.
- It is the hierarchical system of classifying and
naming organisms.
1. Eukarya (Domain)
2. Animalia (Kingdom)
3. Chordata (Phylum)
4. Mammalia (Class)
5. Carnivora (Order)
6. Canidae (Family)
7. Canis (Genus)
- example: Coyote (Canis Latrans)
Gray wolf (Canis lupus)
8. Species
THE 2010 INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF
BIODIVERSITY
by: Steffen Thorsen
- Biological diversity - biodiversity - variety of
life on earth (plants, animals and
microorganisms) 1.75 million species are
identified (insects)
- Some scientist believe that there are actually 13
million species, though estimates range
from three to 100 million
- Loss of biodiversity threatens food supplies,
opportunities for recreation and tourism, and
sources of wood, medicine, and energy.
- The International Year of Biodiversity
focuses on boosting awareness of
biodiversity's importance.
One of the basic laws for us to live is SELF-
PRESERVATION. Because of our need of survival,
we are sacrificing what we have to fulfill it.

Biodiversity International
- Released “Law and policy of relevance to the
management of plant genetic resources”
- help professionals in MANAGING,
CONSERVING, AND USING PLANT GENETIC
RESOURCES for food and agriculture
BIOTECHNOLOGY - uses biological systems,
living organisms or derivatives to make or modify
products or processes for a specific use.
GENETIC ENGINEERING – is a technique that
allows genes and DNA to be transferred from one
source to another. Leads to the formation of:
- Living Modified Organisms (LMOs)
- Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)
GMO DESCRIPTION
Golden Rice modified with daffodil genes to
Rice have more beta-carotene, which the
body converts to Vitamin A
Flavr Savr Tomatoes modified by the removal of
Tomatoes genes responsible for the softening of
fruit, meaning the tomatoes spoil more
slowly
Bt Corn Corn modified with a bacterial
insecticide genes so that it produces
insect toxins within its cells, protecting it
from pest species
Aqua Salmon modified with growth hormone
Advantage regulating genes in order to grow to
Salmon market sizes in significantly less time
Glow in Animals modified with genes for
the Dark fluorescent proteins will grow in the
Animals dark – this novel feature serves no
practical purpose
MODERN BIOTECHNOLOGY - gives scientists
molecular tools for obtaining a better understanding
of the structure and function on genes in living
organism.
- new developments on food and agriculture
- new precision tools and diagnostics
- speed up breeding gains and efficiency
- develop pests and disease resistant crops
- combat salinity, drought and problems of
agriculture
- enhance the nutritional quality of food
- increase crop varieties and choice
- reduce inputs and production costs
- increase profits
GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS
- Also known as “Transgenic organisms”
- A GMO (genetically modified organism) is the
result of a laboratory process where genes
from the DNA of one species are extracted
and artificially forced into the genes of an
unrelated plant or animal.
GENETIC MODIFICATION
- Known as “genetic engineering”
- Carried out by gene transfer or transgenics
between species
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MICROBE AND ITS REPRODUCTION
MECHANISM
1. The process is the identification of the
desired trait from another organism.
2. The insertion of the trait happens.
3. The modified organism should be able to
grow and replicate.
RECOMBINANT DNA TECHNOLOGY
- Involves several steps in specific sequences
such as;
- isolation of DNA
- fragmentation of DNA by restriction
endonucleases
- isolation of a desired DNA fragment
- ligation of the DNA fragment into a vector
- transferring the recombinant DNA into the
host
- culturing the host cells in a medium at
large scale and extraction of the desired
product
BIOTECHNOLOGY COMPANIES
- Able to obtain patents which restrict their use
- Some companies that make GMO’s could have
the power to sue farmers
- May pose a serious threat to farmers
CARTAGENA PROTOCOL ON BIOSAFETY
- is an international agreement which aims to
ensure the safe handling, transport and use
of living modified organisms (LMOs)
resulting from modern biotechnology that may
have adverse effects on biological diversity,
taking also into account risks to human
health. It takes a precautionary approach by
making sure that countries are provided
with the data necessary to make informed
decisions before agreeing to the import of
such organisms into their territory.
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GENETICALLY MODIFIED GOLDEN RICE 5. REPTILES and AMPHIBIANS – 10,
FALLS SHORT ON LIFE SAVING PROMISES 500
6. BIRDS – 9, 000
- short on lifesaving promises GMO activists not 7. MAMMALS – 4, 000
to blame for scientific challenges slowing
introduction, study finds - It is believed that 90% of life on the planet is yet
- by Gerry Everding(June 2, 2016) to be known!

- Famous for heirloom rice grown on the
spectacular terraces of the Cordillera mountains
of northern Luzon, the Philippines has become
a hotbed for protests over the development of
genetically modified Golden Rice.
- Heralded on the cover of Time magazine in
2000 as a genetically modified (GMO) crop with
the potential to save millions of lives in the Third
World, Golden Rice is still years away from field
introduction and even then, may fall short of
lofty health benefits still cited regularly by GMO
advocates, suggests a new study from
Washington University in St. Louis.
- GMO advocates have long touted the
innovation as a practical way to provide poor
farmers in remote areas with a subsistence
crop capable of adding much-needed Vitamin A
to local diets. A problem in many poor countries
in the Global South, Vitamin A deficiencies
leave millions at high risk for infection, diseases
and other maladies, such as blindness.
- GMO proponents often claim that
environmental groups such as Greenpeace
should be blamed for slowing the introduction of
Golden Rice and thus, prolonging the misery of
poor people who suffer from Vitamin A
deficiencies
Status of Philippine Biodiversity
What is Biodiversity?
- contraction of "biological diversity"
- made popular by E.O. Wilson in his book
BioDiversity (1986)
- “Found wherever there is life, be it in the
cities, countryside, backyard, homes.”
IMPORTANCE OF BIODIVERSITY
1. Ethical
- “Every form of life is unique, warranting respect
regardless of its worth to man and to accord
other organisms such recognition, man must be
guided by a moral code of action.” - World
Charter for Nature – UN General Assembly
2. Agriculture/Food source
- 75% of human nutrition w/ rice, maize, potato
- about 20% of protein requirements of man
- only 5000 of 75000 edible plant species have
been used by man for food
- Tropical plants: almost 200 species with 3000
still available
- crop diversity
- Rice grassy stunt virus (RGSV)
- South and Southeast Asia, China, Japan,
and Taiwan
- Philippines –1973 to 1977 and again from
1982 to 1983
- transmitted by brown plant hoppers
- 6,273 varieties were tested for resistance,
only one was resistant
3. Medicine and Pharmaceutical
- 1% tropical plants for medical use
- Southeast Asian traditional healers use
6500 plant species as medicines
- 80% of people from Third World rely on
traditional medicines
- at least 68 common plants in the
Philippines being used as medicines
- 3000 plants (70% in tropical rainforests)
identified by US National Cancer Institute
as having anti-cancer properties
- 500 marine species with anti-cancer
activity

Scientific Name Drugs Action

Meaning:
DRUGS FROM BACTERIA/FUNGAL SOURCES
- The HUGE variety of other animals and plants
Penicilium PENICILLIN Antibiotic
on our planet, together with the places where Notatum
found. (WWF) Streptomyces TACROLIMAX immuno-
tsukabaensis suppressant
- “Biodiversity is the variability among living Monascus LOVASTATIN anti-cholesterol
organisms from all sources, including inter alia purpureus
[among other things], terrestrial, marine and DRUGS FROM PLANT SOURCES
other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological Rosy periwinkle VINBLASTINE Childhood leukemia
complexes of which they are a part; this Catharanthus
includes diversity within species, between roseus Hodgkin’s
species and of ecosystems.” (United Nations VINCRISTINE lymphoma
Convention on Biological Diversity) Chinchona tree QUININE malaria
Chinchona spp.
Pacific yew TAXOL breast/ovarian
Earth’s Species Diversity Taxus brevifolia cancer
- 1.7 million species have been discovered DRUGS FROM ANIMAL SOURCES
1. INSECTS – 950, 000 Sea squirt
2. PLANTS – 270, 000 Ecteinascidia YONDELIS soft tissue
3. FUNGI – 72, 000 turbinata carcinoma
4. FISH – 19, 000 Cone snail ZICONOTIDE severe chronic
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(Conus magus) pain Causes of Biodiversity Loss – HIPPOC
Brazilian
arrowhead CAPTOPRIL lower blood - Habitat loss
viper pressure - Invasive species
Bothrops
- Pollution
jararaca
- Population growth
- Over-consumption
4. Business and Industry - Climate change
- "At least 40 % of the world's economy and 80
per cent of the needs of the poor are derived 1. Habitat Loss
from biological resources." -UN Convention on - deforestation and forest fragmentation –only
Biodiversity 7% is left of the original forest cover
- exportation of mangoes and bananas - building of roads and dams
- security of resources such as water, timber, - destructive fishing
paper, fiber, and food - marine habitats suffer the worst
- building materials, fibers, dyes, rubber and oil - only 5% of coral reef are healthy to
- 2100 plants w/ pest controlling property support aquatic life
- mangroves reduced from 500,000 ha
PLANTS WITH INSECTICIDAL/INSECT REPELLANT to
PROPERTIES 112,400 ha
Chrysanthemum PYRETHINS - 50% seagrass beds lost (same period)
Nicotiania NICOTINE
Citronella CITRONELLA OIL - Forest Fragmentation
- Escape of Lolong
5. Leisure, cultural and aesthetic value
- enriches leisure activities 2. Invasive Species
- inspires artists - introduced or non-native species
- respect for nature –part of the culture - harmful to the ecosystem
- reproduce rapidly and damage, displace or
The State of Philippine Biodiversity destroy native species
- both a hotspot and a megadiversity country
- rich and highly unique EXAMPLES:
- TRF supports thousands of species - Janitor fish (Hypostomus plecostomus)
- 44% bird species - Golden kuhol (Pomacea canaliculata)
- 64% mammals - American toad (Bufo marinus)
- has among the highest rates of discovery in
the world with sixteen new species of 3. Pollution
mammals discovered in the last ten years - atmospheric pollution, soil and water pollution,
- 67% of flora and fauna are endemic pesticides, particulate matter, and heavy metals
- out of 556 bird species, 44% endemic - domestic and industrial wastes
- out of 180 mammals, 115 endemic - approximately 80% of marine debris originates
- reptiles & amphibians, 73% endemic on land
- highest endemicity
- highest number of threatened species Top 20 Toxic and Hazardous Substances
- 17,460 km coastline, highly diverse marine
life (about 5000 marine species) 1. Arsenic
- coral reefs 2. Lead
- seagrass beds 3. Mercury
- mangroves 4. Vinyl Chloride
- out of 500 known coral species in the world 5. Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)
approximately 400 species are in the 6. Benzene
Philippines serving home to some 1,030 7. Cadmium
fishes and a thousands of invertebrates 8. Benzo(a)pyrene
9. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
The Philippines is one of the biodiversity mega- 10. Benzo(b)fluoranthene
centers of the world. It is also a biodiversity 11. Chloroform
HOTSPOT 12. DDT
13. Aroclor 1254
Biodiversity Loss 14. Aroclor 1260
- "The loss of biological diversity is 15. Trichloroethylene
second only to nuclear warfare in its 16. Dibenza(a,h)anthracene
threat to human and other life on this 17. Dieldrin
planet.“— U.S. Environmental Protection 18. Chromium, Hexavalent
Agency 19. Chlordane
20. Hexachlorobutadiene

Endocrine Disrupters
- PCBs - used as industrial coolants and
lubricants; chloracne, liver, skin and brain
cancer
- DDT – pesticide; thin eggshells, interfere with
reproductive development
- Atrazine - agricultural herbicide; feminization of
frogs and fish
Minamata Disease
- first discovered in Minamata city in Kumamoto
prefecture, Japan in 1956
- a neurological syndrome
- methyl mercury in the industrial wastewater
from the Chisso Corporation
- ataxia, narrowing field of vision, damage to
hearing and speech
Jeremy Piven
- actor
- mercury toxicity
- high mercury level to fish in his diet
- he was eating sushi twice a day for years
- pain in the extremities, pinkness and peeling
of the hands, feet and nose, irritability,
sweating, rapid heartbeat and loss of mobility
4. Population Growth
- world: 7 billion (2011)
- Phil. estimated: 95,800,000 (2011)
- 90 million added per year
- more people require more space and more
resources
- more wastes
World’s Most Populous Countries
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GENE THERAPY
What Genes can do
- Genes, which are carried on chromosomes,
are the basic physical and functional units
of heredity.
- Genes are specific sequences of bases
that encode instructions on how to make
proteins.
- It’s the proteins that perform most life
functions and even make up the majority of
cellular structures.
Why Genetic Disorders?
- When genes are altered so that the encoded
proteins are unable to carry out their normal
functions, genetic disorders can result.
All of us carry some defective Genes, some are
apparent and many in apparent
- Each of us carries about half a dozen
defective genes. We remain blissfully unaware
of this fact unless we, or one of our close
relatives, are amongst the many millions who
suffer from a genetic disease.
5. Overconsumption
- resource-use has outpaced the sustainable
capacity of the ecosystem
- food, clothing, metals, plastics, electronics –
consumerism
- effects of overpopulation or unequal
distribution wealth?
6. Climate Change
- a major threat to the world's biodiversity
- carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane and
other greenhouse gases to the atmosphere
- trap heat and accelerate the rate of global
warming
- About one in ten people has, or will develop at
some later stage, an inherited genetic disorder,
and approximately 2,800 specific conditions are
known to be caused by defects (mutations) in
just one of the patient's genes.
We Inherit from Parents
- Most of us do not suffer any harmful effects
from our defective genes because we carry two
copies of nearly all genes, one derived from our
mother and the other from our father.
- The only exceptions to this rule are the genes
found on the male sex chromosomes.
- Males have one X and one Y chromosome, the
former from the mother and the latter from the
father, so each cell has only one copy of the
genes on these chromosomes
Law of Inheritance
- In the majority of cases, one normal gene is
sufficient to avoid all the symptoms of disease.
- If the potentially harmful gene is recessive, then
its normal counterpart will carry out all the tasks
assigned to both.
- Only if we inherit from our parents two copies of
the same recessive gene will a disease
develop.

What is Gene Therapy
- Gene therapy is the insertion of genes into an
individual's cells and tissues to treat a disease,
such as a hereditary disease in which a
deleterious mutant allele is replaced with a
functional one.
- Although the technology is still in its infancy, it
has been used with some success.
How It Works
- A vector delivers the therapeutic gene into a
patient’s target cell
- The target cells become infected with the viral
vector
- The vector’s genetic material is inserted into
the target cell
- Functional proteins are created from the
therapeutic gene causing the cell to return to a
normal state
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Goal of Gene therapy
- A normal gene may be inserted into a non-
specific location within the genome to replace a
non-functional gene. This approach is most
common.
- An abnormal gene could be swapped for a
normal gene through homologous
recombination.
- The abnormal gene could be repaired through
selective reverse mutation, which returns the
gene to its normal function.
- The regulation (the degree to which a gene is
turned on or off) of a particular gene could be
altered.
Delivering desired Genes

Gene Therapy is Experimental

- Advances in understanding and manipulating
genes have set the stage for scientists to alter a
person's genetic material to fight or prevent
disease.
- Gene therapy is an experimental treatment
that involves introducing genetic material
(DNA or RNA) into a person's cells to fight
disease.
Gene Therapy Corrects
Majority are Trials - Gene therapy is a technique for correcting
- Gene therapy is being studied in clinical trials defective genes responsible for disease
(research studies with people) for many development.
different types of cancerand for other diseases. - Researchers may use one of several
It is not currently available outside a clinical approaches for correcting faulty genes:
trials

What Gene therapy can Achieve

- Replacinga mutated gene that causes disease
with a healthy copy of the gene.
- Inactivating, or “knocking out,” a mutated gene
that is functioning improperly.
- Introducing a new gene into the body to help
fight a disease.

Uses of gene therapy

- Replace missing or defective genes;
- Deliver genes that speed the destruction of
cancer cells;
- Supply genes that cause cancer cells to revert
back to normal cells;
- Deliver bacterial or viral genes as a form of
vaccination;
- Provide genes that promote or impede the
growth of new tissue; and;
- Deliver genes that stimulate the healing of
damaged tissue.
Genes are Medicine?
- Gene therapy is ‘the use of genes as medicine’.
- It involves the transfer of a therapeutic or
working gene copy into specific cells of an
individual in order to repair a faulty gene copy.
- Thus, it may be used to replace a faulty gene,
or to introduce a new gene whose function is to
cure or to favourably modify the clinical course
of a condition.
First Approved Gene Therapy
- On September 14, 1990 at the U.S. National
Institutes of Health, W. French Anderson M.D.
and his colleagues R. Michael Blaese, M.D., C.
Bouzaid, M.D., and Kenneth Culver, M.D.,
performed the first approved gene therapy
procedure on four-year old Ashanthi DeSilva.
Born with a rare genetic disease called severe
combined immunodeficiency (SCID)
What did they do?
- In Ashanthi's gene therapy procedure, doctors
removed white blood cells from the child's body,
let the cells grow in the laboratory, inserted the
missing gene into the cells, and then infused
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the genetically modified blood cells back into
the patient's bloodstream.

A success story
- As of early 2007, she was still in good health,
and she was attending college.
- Some would state that the study is of great
importance despite its indefinite results, if only
because it demonstrated that gene therapy
could be practically attempted without adverse
consequences.
Safety
- Although viral vectors are occasionally created
from pathogenic viruses, they are modified in
such a way as to minimize the risk of handling
them.
What are the ethical issues surrounding gene
therapy?
- How can “good” and “bad” uses of gene therapy
be distinguished?
- Who decides which traits are normal and which
constitute a disability or disorder?
- Will the high costs of gene therapy make it
available only to the wealthy?
- Could the widespread use of gene therapy
make society less accepting of people who are
different?
- Should people be allowed to use gene therapy
to enhance basic human traits such as height,
intelligence, or athletic ability?
1. PRECESSION – the change of the orientation
of the rotational axis of the Earth
2. EQUINOXES –two days in the year when the
Northern and Southern Hemispheres receives
equal amount of sunlight
• Spring equinox (March 20 or 21)
• Autumnal equinox (September 22 or 23)
3. SOLSTICES – either of the two moments in the
year when the Sun’s apparent path is farthest
north or south from Earth’s Equator
• Summer solstice (June 20 or 21) –
occurs when the sun is directly over the
Tropic of Cancer, which is located at
23.5°latitude; marks the longest day and
shortest night of the year
• Winter solstice (December 21 or 22) –
occurs when the sun is directly over the
Tropic of Capricorn, which is located at
23.5°south; marks the shortest day and
longest night of the year

The Future of Gene Therapy

- Current uses of gene therapy focus on treating
or curing existing conditions. In the future, the
focus could shift to prevention.
- As more of the human genome is understood,
medicine will know more about which genes
contribute to or cause disease.
- With that knowledge in hand, gene therapy
could be used to head off problems before they 4. PRECESSION OF THE EQUINOXES –refers to
occur. the motion of the equinoxes relative to the
precession of the Earth’s axis of rotation
Global Climate Change
- Climate –refers to the long-term weather
patterns prevailing over a given area of a planet
- Weather –the state of the atmosphere at a
place and time as regards heat, dryness,
sunshine, wind, rain, etc.

Earth’s Movement Around the Sun

- Earth has seasons because our planet's axis of
rotation is tilted at an angle of 23.5 degrees
relative to our orbital plane –the plane of Earth's
orbit around the sun.
- The tilt in the axis of the Earth is called its
obliquity by scientists.

MILANKOVITCH PARAMETERS
- Milankovitch Hypothesis: they occur due
to cyclic changes in the summer insolation
of Northern Hemisphere. These cyclic
climate changes are, in turn, due to
variations in the Earth’s orbital parameters:
- Precession (26,000 yrcycle)
- Eccentricity (varies from 0.00 to 0.06 with
100,000 and 400,000 yrcycles)
- Axis tilt or obliquity (varies from 24.5o to
22.5 degrees with 41,000 yrcycle
Climate Change-Mean Annual Global
Temperature 1960-2005
Climate Change Terminologies
1. GREENHOUSE GAS
- Gas that absorbs infrared radiation
- Ex: Carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide,
chlorofluorocarbons and tropospheric ozone
2. POSITIVE FEEDBACK
- Change in some condition triggers a response
that intensifies the changed condition
3. INFRARED RADIATION
- Radiation that has a wavelength that is longer
than that of visible light, but shorter than that of
radio waves
4. GREENHOUSE EFFECT
- Increase of heat in a system where energy
enters (often as light), is absorbed as heat, and
released sometime later
Climate Change: Evidence for Climate Change
- 11 of the 12 years between 1995 and 2006
were among the twelve warmest years since
the mid-1800s
- PHENOLOGICAL SPRING in N. hemisphere
now comes 6 days earlier
- Warming is not due to natural causes
Human produced greenhouse gases are
most plausible explanation
Causes
- Greenhouse gas concentrations increasing
- Increased concentration of CO2(right)
•Burning fossil fuels in cars, industry
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and homes
•Deforestation
•Burning of forests
Greenhouse Effect
Other Pollutants Cool the Atmosphere
- Atmospheric Aerosols tend to cool the
atmosphere
•Both human and natural sources
•Tiny particles that remain in troposphere for
weeks or months
•Contain many chemicals,often contain sulphur
- Complicates models of climate change
Climate Models
- Climate affected by:
•winds, clouds, ocean currents, and albedo
- Used to explore past climate events
- Advanced models can project future warming
events
- Models are only as good as the data and law
used to program them
•They have limitations
Effects of Global Climate Change
- Ocean as CO2sink -excess CO2is starting to
harm ocean life
Effects of Global Climate Change-Melting Ice
and Rising Sea Levels
- Sea level rise caused in 2 ways
•Thermal Expansion
•Water expands as it warms
•Melting of land ice
•Retreat of glacier & thinning of ice at poles
- Melting has positive feedback
•Increased melting decreases ice, which
decreases albedo leading to further
warming
Case-In-Point Impacts in Fragile Areas
- Eskimo Inuit live traditional life dictated by
freezing climate
- Climate change is altering their existence
•Wildlife are smaller or displaced
•Reduced snow cover and shorter river ice
seasons
•Thawing of permafrost (right)
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Effects of Global Climate Change-Changing Dealing with Global Climate Change-
Precipitation Patterns Relationship Between Mitigation and
- Some areas will get more water, some areas Adaptation
will have greater droughts
•Ex: Hurricanes will likely get stronger

Effects of Global Climate Change-Effects on

Organisms
- Zooplankton in parts of California Current have
decreased by 80% since 1951
•Effecting entire food chain
- Decline in krill around Antarctica
•Caused decrease in penguin populations
- Species have shifted their geographic range
- Migrating birds are returning to summer homes
earlier
•Food is not available at this time
Effects on Organisms -Coral Reefs
- Coral reefs can be bleached (right) due to
increase in water temperature
•Affects coral symbiotes and makes them
more susceptible to diseases to which they would
otherwise be immune
Effect on Organisms-Vegetation Beech Tree
Range
Dealing with Global Climate Change-Mitigation
- Locate/invent alternative fuels to fossil fuels
- Increase efficiency of cars and trucks
- Sequestering carbon before it is emitted
- Plant and Maintain trees to naturally sequester
carbon
Reduction of Carbon Emissions
- Burn less fossil fuel: Turn down your thermostat
- Plant Trees for shade and CO2uptake
- Insulate your house
- Replace old appliances
- Use compact fluorescence light bulbs
- Use renewable energy

Effects on Human Health

- Increased number of heat-related illnesses and
deaths

Effects on Agriculture
- Difficult to anticipate
•Productivity will increase in some areas
and decrease in others
- Rise in sea level will inundate flood plains and
river valleys (lush farmland)
- Effect on pests is unknown
- Warmer temperatures will decrease soil
moisture-requiring more irrigation
- Location (i.e. elevation and altitude) where
certain crops can be grown may have to
change

International Implications of Climate Change

- Developed vs. Developing countries
•Differing self-interests
•Differing ability to meet the challenges of
climate change

Dealing with Global Climate Change

- To avoid the worst of climate change,
CO2levels must be stabilized at 550ppm
•50% higher than current levels
- Two ways to attempt to manage climate change
•Mitigation
•Focuses on limiting greenhouse gas
emissions to moderate global climate
change
•Adaptation
•Focuses on learning to live with to the
environmental changes and societal
consequences brought about by global
climate change