Demo Lesson

• Read the article “Do-It-Yourself Biology, on the Wings of the Mockingjay,” where James Gorman reports on the growing availability of tools to modify organisms, and the possibility that a creature like the bird imagined in the “Hunger Games” series could someday exist.

• In the above article, the author states, “The tools needed to modify organisms are already widely dispersed in industry and beyond.” That could mean the development of an animal like a jabberjay might not be so far-fetched. In fact, a growing “do-it-yourself” biology movement raises concerns about how easy it might be for people outside research laboratories to create harmful micro-organisms.  Read Carl Zimmer’s article summarizing concerns held by some scientists about the possibility that “garage scientists” might inadvertently create and release harmful viruses, like avian flu.

• Now, answer the following questions:

Test your knowledge & comprehension (click here for the quiz)

• What is a genetically modified organism?

• What is a jabberjay? A mockingjay?

• What roles do these organisms play in the book series “The Hunger Games”?

• What is the value of creating genetically modified organisms?

• What are some of the concerns surrounding G.M.O.’s?
  

Analysis/Evaluation (submit your answer in our Discussion Forum or Facebook Group)

• Based on the readings and questions above, what predictions can you make for what might happen if the tools of biotechnology spread to everyone, and lead to “an explosion of diversity of new living creatures”?