Biotechnology & Bioethics
📋 What it is
Biotech uses living things to solve problems (medicine, food) — and raises “should we?” questions.
🗣️ Coach says
Biotechnology puts biology to work: bacteria that make insulin, crops engineered to resist pests, DNA tests that catch diseases early. Powerful stuff — which is exactly why it raises ethics questions. “Can we?” is a science question; “should we?” is one society has to answer together.
🧠 Memory hook
Biotech = biology as a tool. “Can we?” is science; “should we?” is ethics.
😂 Giggle
Why did the enzyme break up with the substrate?
Because it just wasn't the right fit anymore!
😲 Whoa!
The insulin that keeps millions of people with diabetes alive is made by genetically engineered bacteria — tiny living factories working for us.
✅ Quick check: Biotech can edit a crop’s genes to resist drought. What KIND of question is “should we do this?”
Say your answer out loud first — then reveal.
An ethics (bioethics) question — science shows what’s possible; society weighs whether and how it should be done.
Feasibility is a science question; the “should” is a values/ethics judgment.
🧪 Try it! (2 minutes)
Name one biotech you’ve heard of (a vaccine, GMO food, DNA test) and one “should we?” question it raises.