DNA

DATE: Saturday, February 6, 2016

TIME: 2:15 PM

WEATHER CONDITIONS: At the time of observation, it was approximately 70˚F outside. There was a 0% chance of precipitation throughout the day, and the sky was a clear blue without a cloud in the sky.There were 30.33 in. of atmospheric pressure. The average humidity was 46%. The wind speed at the time of observation was around 10 mph.  

CHANGES: There are little to no changes in the appearance of the tree. It still remains barren and lifeless.

RNAi: 

RNAi, or RNA interference, is a natural biological process of gene silencing. Through this process, cells are able to "turn off" specific genes that are harmful or unwanted to the cell. RNAi is able to literally kill the messengers that carry the instructions or blueprints to make the corresponding protein, therefore stopping any activity associated with this gene.  

GENETIC ENGINEERING:

1. Genetic engineering in plants is when scientists purposely add a previously unknown gene of any organism to the plant's genome. Through this process, the DNA is removed from one organism and genes for specific traits are selected, extracted, and finally placed into another plant's genome. 
2. Bacteria and Plasmids are involved in genetic engineering of plants because bacteria was one of the first organisms that could be genetically engineered. Bacteria all have plasmids, which are small, circular DNA molecules that replicate separately. In order to clone bacteria, scientists must obtain a piece of plasmid from the bacteria and insert DNA from another organism. 
3. GMI or GMO labels signify that an organism or food product has been genetically modified. This means that the organism has acquired genes from another organism through artificial processes. 
4. Soy and salmon are two examples of GM foods. Soy is modified to contain high levels of oleic acid, which is naturally found in olive oil. This means that the soy plants contain DNA from olives. Most salmon have the addition of a more active salmon growth hormone gene.
5. Advantages of GM plants: crops present a higher yield, so they are therefore able to feed more people and support a larger population; they are more resistant to pests and diseases, they are more likely to survive in locations where the soil quality and climate are poor for growing plants

          Disadvantages of GM plants: modifying the plant's DNA can lead to unpredictable results, not labeling these products on the shelves of grocery stores as GM plants is deceiving to consumers 

SOURCES:

• https://weather.com/weather/today/l/USNC0177:1:US
• http://www.benitec.com/technology/what-is-rnai
• http://www.liai.org/pages/rnai-at-a-glance
• http://agbiosafety.unl.edu/education/summary.htm
• Campbell Biology Pearson e-Text
• http://www.huffingtonpost.com/builtlean/diet-and-nutrition_b_4323937.html
• http://www.brighthub.com/science/genetics/articles/23358.aspx