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Name: Jatin Kumar

ASSIGNMENT 1
TOPIC: Do you think that life science is an essential part of modern science? Substantiate your
answer.
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Life sciences or biology is not a matter of importance of past, it is the seed that helped humans
grow a plant which has branches of different technologies. Biology has its application in field of
education and we cannot stop from saying that it an essential part of modern science. Average
life of humans was approximately 80-95 years in olden days but some decades ago due to
various diseases and epidemics, it came down but due to advancement in drug efficiency and
different technical advancements in physics and chemistry helped to save humans from life
taking diseases. Edward Teller quoted it perfectly that science of today is technology of
tomorrow and today we can see biology in different aspects of life. People earlier thought that
biology is only for treating humans and animals and it has nothing to do with other technological
advancements. India had practicing various forms of ancient techniques to deal with various
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types of diseases and in surgery too, we had Sushruta who performed different types of surgery
with the help of ayurveda and medicines obtained from plants. He is considered as one of the
most brilliant gems in Indian medical literature. Auyrvedic literature and ancient remains have
proved that getting humans cured was a magnificent achievement by our ancestors and today we
are growing fast towards medicines made from chemicals but a majority of people now also
prefer ayurveda and homeopathy. Today we are living in a world which is filled with various
types of devices and we can do numerous activities and in medical field comprises of devices
equipped with help of physics and chemistry, which have made our operations and treatments
cost efficient and easy. Genetic research has helped us to stop crimes and find the parental
origins. Criminals can be traced back to their places with help of their race. Parent identification
of a lost child or finding culprits based on their DNA data is a great help from biology. In today’s
world of espionage and crime, we have the best of medical to kill all those you betray our
country or any organization. Facial recognition at security check post and different types of
biometrics have helped us to tighten the security at crucial places to stop any terror activities or
crime. India being home to world’s most smartphones at second position is having features
developed with medical science. Facial recognition and fingerprint sensor in every phone is the
basic need of a smartphone buyer and helps him to protect his personal data during theft. India
has boosted it security and identification process by implementing aadhar for it’s citizens where
all personal data including his or her biometrics are stored at a secured data centre which is
currently guarded by CISF in Bengaluru. AADHAR has been implemented in every field to help
common man to get services easily. Whether it is bank, getting a sim, using paytm, getting a
passport or driving license or anything that a common man needs it fulfilled by aadhar and we
are proud to say that we don’t need to carry each and every document to avail any service. There
are numerous applications of life science in our day to day life. Everything that we are enjoying
today has its origin from biology and we cannot regret it. ISRO and NASA use various types of
instruments based on biological origin to detect life on moon or mars and to find availability of
various life supporting substances for the good of humanity. Satellites present in space which
revolve around the earth capture photos and examine the heat wave that flows on earth with the
help of various biological instruments that are equipped with new technical facilities. They
provide vital information for predicting natural disasters, rain, storm, tsunami and other weather
forecast and agricultural information to farmers which help them to work on their fields with
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proper time management of crops. Genetic research has made possible to deal with various
genetic mutation that causes problems to humans or animals and to eliminate problems in
chromosomes. Recently scientists have developed many genetic clones of pigs, sheep, mice and
cows who look alike real animals of their origin but have a healthy body with greater immunity
and higher domestic yield. IVF technology has been a boost to both male and females who have
some fertility problems which hinder them to have their own baby. In vitro fertilization (IVF) is
a process of fertilization where an egg is combined with sperm outside body in a glass. The
fertilized egg is again planted into uterus of mother with the intention of establishing a successful
pregnancy. Drug Discovery, Personal medicine, Preventive medicine, Gene Therapy are the
major aspects of bioinformatics which is again derived from biology which is combined with
computer applications. Waste cleanup, Climate Change, Biotechnology, Alternative sources of
energy are great applications of biology. Biotechnology is the world of applied effects of biology
combined with technology we can alter the usage of technology and biology together. We can
see the effects of this combination in this modern world. In agriculture biotechnology is used to
develop new types of fertilizers with genetic modification, different types of plants with greater
productivity and insect resistant have been developed which has helped to meet the huge demand
of food grains and farmer’s income has been increased too. This has also increased nutrition
values in plants and new variety of plants, flowers, vegetables are developed which are the
byproducts of human development. Application of biology for food processing and storing food
is currently a matter of debate. Meat products and raw meat both are exported for trade and cow
milk and other dairy products have fast applications of biotechnology for production to
preservation and export. Milk products like cheese and butter are prepared by biological process
which is in great demand. Daily use products are also prepared with new techniques and new
biological inventions like toothpaste, soap, shampoo and hand wash are used to fight germs
which harm us. In today’s world of espionage and spies, every nation is looking forward to
develop biological weapons which are far better than nuclear weapons for harming others
without letting them know about it. There are different types of viruses and harmful
microorganisms which are able to kill a nation slowly and can destroy a nation’s powerful army,
air force or navy. Nothing can be saved if such an attack is made. It will destroy all living
habitats including plants and animals. Biological warfare agents differ greatly in the type of
organism or toxin used in a weapons system, lethality, length of incubation, infectiousness,
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stability, and ability to be treated with current vaccines and medicines. Most weaponized lethal
biological agents are intended to be delivered as aerosols, which would cause infections when
breathed by the targeted personnel. For this reason, the most important and effective defense
against biological weapons is a good protective mask equipped with filters capable of blocking
bacteria, viruses, and spores larger than one micron in cross section from entry into wearer’s
nasal passage and lungs. During World War 1, Germany initiated a clandestine program to infect
horses and cattle owned by allies armies on both the western and eastern fronts. German agents
infiltrated the United States and surreptitiously infected the animals prior to their shipment
across the Atlantic in support of Allied forces. Thus biology is not only in favor of humanity, it
also cause damage to our lives. There are many drugs which can dreadful diseases and on other
hand there are many drugs which when taken inside body can harm us. Some of the addictive
drugs are amphetamines, benzodiazepines, methadone, GHB, Nicotine, Cocaine, Crack, Crystal
meth and Heroin. The list of this type of drugs is never ending but we have to save us from all
this addictive drugs. In India, youngsters are facing a lot of problems due to this. Recently a
movie was made on drug intake rise in Punjab named Udata Punjab which showcased the
increased habit of taking drugs in that state. We need to act wisely on this issue because if it
spreads all over our country then situation can become a threat to our progress because we are
having world’s most young population and if it goes into wrong path can slow down our
development. Therefore, I end my opinion on usage of life science in modern science and hope
that biology is used for good of humanity and not for destroying any form of life on earth.