Youtube Exercise » English Grammar Homework

It's time to question bio-engineering – Paul Root Wolpe

TED-Ed

180K views 13 years ago

Warm-up Questions

When you hear the title “It’s time to question bio-engineering,” what kinds of technologies do you think the talk will mention?
Do you think bio-engineering should be controlled by laws, or should people have more freedom to create new organisms? Why?
What benefits and risks come to your mind when humans “design” living things?

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It's time to question bio-engineering – Paul Root Wolpe

Segment 1: Three waves of evolution and early “design” (00:00 – 04:23)

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1. What is the “third great wave” of evolution, according to the speaker?

Evolution driven by environmental pressures alone
Evolution stopping because of modern medicine
A return to purely Darwinian natural selection
Intentional evolution: humans designing and altering organisms

2. What example does the speaker use to show that humans have been “designing” animals for a long time?

Cloned sheep living in the wild
Naturally occurring zebra fish with bright colors
Monkeys trained to use prosthetic arms
Dogs produced through selective breeding

3. What is the speaker’s main point about the animal hybrids he shows (like the “beefalo” and “geep”)?

They are all naturally occurring species found in the wild
They show humans can combine traits and create new creatures
They prove that genetic engineering is always dangerous
They are fake images created by photo editing

It's time to question bio-engineering – Paul Root Wolpe

Segment 2: Genetic engineering, cloning, and redefining species (04:23 – 11:00)

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1. Where does the bioluminescent gene used in the mammal cells originally come from?

A species of bird
A type of bacteria found in soil
A desert lizard
Deep sea jellyfish

2. What problem does the speaker point out about government control of genetically engineered pets?

They are strictly controlled by one federal agency
They are illegal everywhere in the United States
Only Europe allows them to be sold legally
No part of the government clearly controls them, so rules vary by state

3. Why does the speaker say some cloned “endangered species” animals are not completely “pure”?

They always include genes from insects
They have mixed mitochondrial DNA from the host mother species
They are trained to behave like the host species
They cannot reproduce at all

It's time to question bio-engineering – Paul Root Wolpe

Segment 3: Bio-robots, living computers, and ethical responsibility (11:00 – 19:43)

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1. How do scientists control the insect in the lab example (the “insect bot”)?

By changing the temperature in the room
By exposing it to special smells
By training it with food rewards only
By using a joystick connected to electrodes in its nervous system

2. What does the speaker say happened after the monkey watched the prosthetic arm on the screen?

The monkey refused to move at all
The prosthetic arm stopped working completely
The monkey’s arm became stronger than before
The monkey learned to control the prosthetic arm using brain waves

3. What is the speaker’s main concluding message?

Humans now have unprecedented power to design life, creating ethical responsibilities for everyone
Only scientists should decide what bio-engineering is allowed
Bio-engineering is mostly science fiction and not real yet
The best solution is to ban all genetic research immediately

It's time to question bio-engineering – Paul Root Wolpe

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1. Which idea best describes the speaker’s definition of “design” in this talk?

Making products look attractive and modern
Intentionally altering living organisms and bodies using biotechnology
Building cities to change human culture
Teaching animals to behave differently through training

2. What is one major theme repeated throughout the talk?

Technology is neutral and never affects ethics
All genetic engineering is already strictly regulated worldwide
Humans are gaining increasing control over evolution
Natural selection has completely stopped

3. Why does the speaker argue that ethical decisions about bio-engineering involve everyone, not only experts?

Because the government has stopped funding science
Because animals can vote on new laws
Because these technologies will shape the future planet and future bodies
Because most people already work in genetics labs

Discussion Questions

Discuss the ideas from this video

It's time to question bio-engineering – Paul Root Wolpe

The speaker suggests we are moving toward “evolution by design.” What is one potential benefit and one potential danger of this shift?
Should genetically engineered pets (like glowing fish) be regulated? If yes, what rules would you create, and who should enforce them?
Is it ethical to create “organic robots” by removing an animal’s autonomy (ability to control itself)? Why or why not?
If technology makes it possible to design human traits, what ethical guidelines should limit what people can do?