Summary: It's one of the greatest breakthroughs in scientific history, but genetic engineering has also brought disturbing new questions. Should we push genetic research to its absolute limit, exploiting every discovery? What are the consequences of intervening in nature's processes at their most fundamental level? Outlining the potential benefits of genetic engineering, such as the treatment or cure of...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2011
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Summary: This program offers an overview of genetics and cloning as they occur both in nature and in the laboratory while addressing the ethical and social implications of genetic engineering. Genes, chromosomes, and DNA are identified, and the process of cell fertilization is demonstrated. Identical human twins are presented as an example of naturally occurring clones. The synthesis of human insulin...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
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Summary: Many scientists and consumers believe that genetic engineering will vastly improve life on Earth, while others believe it will spell the ruin of the planet. What are the facts behind the rhetoric and the hysteria? In this program, Dr. David Cove surveys past and probable future applications of genetic engineering while calmly presenting possible benefits and liabilities. The case is stated for...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
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Summary: How does cDNA differ from normal DNA? Can a bullet really implant genes? And why is a gene for bioluminescence so valuable to researchers? This program answers those and other questions as it introduces the process of genetic engineering. Dr. David Cove deftly explains how reverse transcriptase is used to isolate genes, how isolated genes are cloned, how cloned genes are delivered via benign...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
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Summary: Any discussion of genetic engineering first requires a knowledge of how organisms replicate. In this program, Dr. David Cove describes the structure and function of DNA as he covers how coding sequences and promoters work together to create proteins from amino acids. DNA's remarkable suitability as a medium for duplicating the blueprints of life both rapidly and accurately in a simple yet...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: Still in its infancy, tissue engineering has already made it possible to grow human-based substitutes for basic bodily systems. In this program, experts from MIT, the Georgia Institute of Technology, and Advanced Tissue Sciences, a commercial leader in tissue engineering technology, focus on synthesized skin and arteries, as well as cellular growth-inducing patches. Applications of these...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: From selective breeding in agriculture to animal cloning and the production of recombinant proteins, science continues to develop ways to modify the genetic code. This program spotlights the basic tools and techniques for manipulating DNA and how these are also used to investigate genetic functions. Viewers will learn about the coding and non-coding sections of DNA; the basics of PCR or the...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009