STS Final Modules
STS Final Modules
Learning Objectives: At the end of the lesson, the students will be able to:
A. determine the interrelatedness of society, environment,
and health
B. discuss the ethics and implications of GMOs and
potential future impacts
Discussion/Analysis:
STS MO1 -Students Handout
BIOTECHNOLOGY
The use of biological processes for industrial and other purposes, especially the genetic
manipulation of microorganisms for the production of antibiotics, hormones and etc.
BI (Biodiversity International)
-has released a module titled “Law and policy of relevance to the management of plant genetic
resources” which aims to help professionals in managing, conserving, using plant genetic
resources for food and agriculture.
A GMO is a Plant, Animal, Microorganism, Other organism whose genetic makeup has been
modified using Recombinant DNA (Gene Splicing), Gene modification, or Transgenic
Technology.
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.
“Golden Rice is still not ready for the market, but we little support for the common claim that
environmental activists are responsible for stalling its production. GMO opponents have not
been the problem, ‘said lead author Glenn Stone, professor of anthropology and environmental
studies in Arts & Sciences.
First conceived in the 1980’s and a focus research since 1992, Golden rice has been a lightning
rod in the battle over genetically modified crops.
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, Vit. A deficiencies leave millions at
high risk for infection, diseases and other maladies such as blindness.
Some anti-GMO groups view Golden Rice as an over-hyped Trojan Horse that biotechnology
corporations and their allies hope will pave the way for the global approval of other more
profitable GMO crops.
Desired Activity:
Activity 01-A: MORSE TYPE TEST (2 pts each) Write;
A. The UN declared 2010 to be International Year for Rapprochement of Cultures and International
Year of Youth.
3.
B. Modern Biotechnology gives scientists molecular tools for obtaining a better understanding of the
structure and function of genes in living organism.
A. The characteristics of an organism and its successors can be modified today by modern technology
4.
B. GMO’s are also known as “transgenic” organisms.
A. The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety is an International agreement which aims to ensure the safe
handling transport, and use of LMOs resulting from modern biotechnology.
5.
B. The Philippines is one of the biodiversity “hotspots” in the world.
Activity 01-B: Watch the video on ‘Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) - Myths
and Truths’ at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_ztZGbLEJ0, and answer the question.
Fill in the blanks using the words below. Some can be used more than once.
Seeds biodegradable uncontrolled
nutritional content plant diseases crop performance
allergenic chemically farmed Nutrients
fossil fuel food supply environment
Greenhouse gasses mutations safety studies
Allocation of resources herbicides
GMOs are energy-friendly Research reveals that even though the no-till method
because of the ‘no-till did reduce farm operations, large amounts of energy
method’, which reduces the are still consumed due to the production of
number of tractor passes (15)_____________ used on GM crops.
GE helps eliminate world GE will not help eliminate world hunger. It does not
hunger protect the security of our
(16)_____________. There are no GE crops
available that increase intrinsic yield. World hunger
is actually an issue of (17)_____________
REFERENCES:
Life and Biodiversity ppt. Evolution and biodiversity Ecoscience-Biodiversity: an
overview
Article: “The politics of golden Rice” (Dubock, Adrian GM Crops & Food.
JulSep2014, Vol5 Issue 3 p 210-222 13p.)
Article: “Ethics in Research with Vulnerable Populations and Emerging Countries: The
Golden Rice Case.” (Duguet, Anne Marie et. al., Journal of International Law and
Commercial Regulations. Summer 2013, Vol. 38 Issue 4, p979-1013, 35p)
Agroecology: What it is and what it has to offer? Is this the future of farming?
‘Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) - Myths and Truths’ at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_ztZGbLEJ0
McNamara, D.G., Valverde, V.M., and Ramon Beleno III, 2018. Science Technology
and Society
Learning At the end of the lesson, the students will be able to:
Objectives: A. discuss the major impacts (both potential and realized) of
nanotechnology on society
B. analyze the issue through the conceptual STS lenses
C. critique the issue on its costs and benefits to society
Discussion/Analysis:
(M02 - Student Handout)
Desired Activity:
Activity 01-A: Watch the video on You Tube titled “The Next Step in Nanotechnology
(George Tulevski)” by TED Talks. Discuss the following briefly.
4. What does nature show about building organisms from the bottom up?
REFERENCES:
Movie Clip (YouTube): “The Next Step in Nanotechnology (George Tulevski)” by
TED Talks
Ppt: Can we build a culture of science through nanotechnology? By Fabian M. Dayrit
(2013)
McNamara, D.G., Valverde, V.M., and Ramon Beleno III, 2018. Science Technology
and Society
Learning At the end of the lesson, the students will be able to:
Objectives: A. describe gene therapy and its various form
B. assess the issue’s potential benefits and detriments to global
health
Discussion/Analysis:
(STS M03 -Student Handout)
Desired Activity:
Source:
2. What is the difference between adult stem cells and embryonic stem cells?
Source:
Source:
4. In what ways might the use of embryonic stem cells be better than the use of adult stem
cells?
Source:
5. How can stem cells be used to treat diseases and injuries? List current uses.
Source:
6. What are some of the current experimental ways that stem cells are being used to treat
disease and injuries?
Source:
7. Why is there controversy about using embryonic stem cells
Source:
Source:
Source:
10. Describe the process used for harvesting adult stem cells.
Source:
REFERENCES:
McNamara, Daniel Joseph, Vida Mia Valverde, Ramon Baleno III. 2018. Science,
Technology, and Society. Quezon City: C and E publishing, Inc.
Article: What we should know about stem cell treatment in the ph by: Totel de Jesus
Youtube: Science Friction: Stem Cell Research
TEDTalk: Susan Lim on “Transplant Cells Not Organs”
TED Talk: Juan Enriquez on “the Next Species of Human”
Learning At the end of the lesson, the students will be able to:
Objectives: A. identify the causes of climate change
B. assess the various impacts of climate change including
economic, geopolitical, biological, meteorological, etc
C. apply STS concepts to the issue of climate change
Discussion/Analysis:
M04- Student handout
MILANKOVITCH PARAMETERS
MILUTIN MILANKOVITCH
-1930’s, Slovak scientist and meteorologist
- interest in the daily weather patterns led him to investigate the deeper issues:
Do weather and climate come ultimately from the sun so that it is the sun and its relation
to earth that accounts for the change in the climate?
Is it possible that as the distance of the sun to the earth changes, the Earth is affected
enough to cause climate change?
- His contemporary scientists critiqued his work, saying the effects of the change in the radius
of earth’s orbit, the change in the tilt of the spin of the earth, and the wobble in the spin axis
(now called the MILANKOVITCH PARAMETERS)
-THE LAWS OF NATURE - first enunciated by Isaac Newton in the 17th century.
-The equations of the Laws of nature allow for cumulative or summative effects.
-HENRI POINCARE - French mathematical physicist, showed that mathematically, this
simple cumulative or summing process need not be as straightforward as it might seem.
GLOBAL WARMING
-Most of the scientists who study climate change agree that the average temperature of the
earth’s atmosphere has been increasing by over 90 % in the latter part of the 20th century.
-Two opposing arguments on the issue of whether or not this global warming is just natural.
1. Nature, simply acting according to its laws with no reference to human beings and their
actions.
-Global warming will happen naturally as the suns rises and sets.
2. Global warming is caused or greatly abutted by the actions of human beings.
-It lays the blame on the actions of humanity past, and present.
GREENHOUSE GASES
The so called greenhouse effect refers to how certain gases (water vapor, carbon dioxide,
methane, NO2 etc.) in the atmosphere trap the heat of the sun.
British engineer John Tyndall states that the atmosphere contains certain gases that naturally
capture the heat from the sun and hold it in so the temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere
becomes hotter than it would be otherwise. The mentioned mechanism is good for the
biosphere because without it, the earth’s atmosphere would be like that of Mars or Antarctica
CHARLES DAVID KEELING - American scientist in the mid-20th century. To find out if the
increased burning of fossil fuel and the consequent release of CO2 in the atmosphere were
changing the global temperature of the atmosphere, He began to measure the amount of CO2
in the atmosphere of a place far away from the industrialized nations- on extinct volcano on
the island of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean.
KEELING CURVE - graph that plots the continuous measurements of data taken at the Mauna
Loa Observatory in Hawaii.
*china- emits the most carbon dioxide
*14% - greenhouse gas emission of transportation sector.
*1.69 degrees (in Fahrenheit) – rise of global temperature since year 1880
Desired Activity:
Activity 01-A: Multiple choice
Instruction: Choose the correct answer among the given options
3. Which of the following is the most impactful action you can take to reduce your carbon
footprint?
A. Turn off you light more often C. Drive a hybrid car
B. Eat a plant-based diet D. Hang your clothes to dry
6. When the greenhouse effect becomes stronger as increasingly more heat is being trapped on
earth and consequently causing temperatures across the planet to rise it is called
A. Global warming
B. Climate change
C. Earth heating
D. Both A and B
10. The inclination angle of the Earth’s rotational axis in relation to a line perpendicular to its
orbital plane
A. Aphelion C. Equinox
B. Earth’s Axial Tilt D. Perihelion
REFERENCES:
McNamara, D.G., Valverde, V.M., and Ramon Beleno III, 2018. Science
Technology and Society
YouTube: or Book “An inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of
Global Warming and What we can Do About It” (Al Gore)
Book: “The Future: Six Drivers of Global Change” (Al Gore)
Learning At the end of the lesson, the students will be able to:
Objectives: A. link learned concepts to the development of the information age
and its impact on society
B. illustrate how the social media and the information age have
impacted our lives
Discussion/Analysis:
M05- Student handout
WESTERN THINKERS - Harnessed the forces of nature after understanding them better
Hero of Alexandria - invent a primitive steam engine in the first century (Davies, 1990)
1. What are some of the current trends and issues in information technology today (give
at least five)? Provide a brief discussion for such.