I would like to point out that I was often a patient; in fact, I was a patient for 4 solid months on one occasion. It is simple to understand my choice of topic. What about the others? Were they also victims of cruel fate or is there another underlying reason for the stress on medical biotechnology? I believe this is a clear display of the impact that medicine and medical technology had on all our lives. We might not have seen actual agriculture, we might not have experienced genetic engineering, nor do some of us actively participate in putting the brakes on environmental degradation. But one thing is clear: We are in contact, experienced, or at least have heard of people falling sick, getting tumors, or even dying. Illness is a huge aspect of life, and our fear of it have been unconsciously seeping into our projection of life, and even in this simple case, our choice of a presentation subject. Yet, with biotechnology on the rise, need we continue fearing?
Diagnostics have drastically improved over the years. Nowadays, a CT scan is sufficient to map out the vital organs in your body - in 3D even. Nutraceuticals is also another interesting concept, derived from the idea of healthy eating as you become what you ingest. My presentation spoke about NOTES, a relatively new surgical procedure yet to prove itself but has the potential to be the future of surgery. However, despite so many advancements in the biomedical industry, the fear will always be there, as the pain and suffering of going through an illness would always exist. It is something that makes us very human. Similarly, we humans have another fear - of the inability to sustain our existence on this planet.
Biobusiness could be one of the only ways by which humans can attain true sustainability. Will being green be literal for humans in the future? If we could manufacture our own food in our bodies, how useful could that be? Simple chlorophyll and biobusiness could change the entire world. The idea might be aesthetically unpleasant, but who cares if the whole world is green anyway. Just like in avatar. Everyone is comfortable being blue. Now, the true problem comes. Knowing our race well enough, it is expected that we eventually would create other problems that leads to (for e.g.) the sun being blocked out from our atmosphere for good. We just have to find another idea then, do we? Our species is intriguing, as we are ironic, conflicting and at times self-destructive. Will we ever achieve sustainability?
Petroleum, a non-renewable fossil fuel, is a key ingredient of plastics. It is quite weird, because while we are running out of fossil fuels for the provision of energy, we are actually still using our precious petroleum to make plastics, which are non-biodegradable. We just killed 3 stones with one bird. Bioplastics to the rescue! They are made from renewable sources, and are biodegradable. It is clear we are heading in the right direction for sustainability.. unless we create new problems for ourselves.
Biotechnology has come a long way, with a rich history in producing some of the most common items in our everyday life, including bread, cheese and beer. It has risen to become one of the biggest components of the GDP of many nations after all these years. Biotechnology has proven its worth and lived up to its potential, now it is down to how we employ it to create a better life for everybody. One regret would actually be the inability for every subtopic to be covered in detail due to the shortage of time in class - despite already spending 3 whole hours on it. My presentation is also over, and it takes a little off my chest, at least for the moment.
:)
9/10
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