Download Checklist of Synoptic Questions File

2016 Scientific Article – Factory of Life
Paragraph Questions
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 What would you find on the inside of a bacterium?
 What kind of substance could be made by a bacteria which could break down fuels?
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 Explain the difference between synthetic biology and ‘traditional genetic engineering’.
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 Describe the structure of DNA, including the names of the bases.
 Explain how proteins are produced from a section of DNA
 Compare the nature of genetic material in bacteria, viruses and eukaryotic cells.
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 How many amino acids could be produced from 580,000 base pairs?
 Calculate the size of the Mycoplasma genome as a percentage of the human genome
 What are the advantages of using bacteria over eukaryotic cells in synthetic biology?
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 What is the name of the enzyme which joins two pieces of DNA?
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 What are the parts of a eukaryotic cell involved with protein synthesis?
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 What is the name of the process of converting DNA into mRNA?
 Which enzyme is involved in building the new strand of mRNA?
 Compare the structure of mRNA and DNA.
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 Why would synthetic pieces of DNA be inserted into small pieces of circular DNA
(plasmids)?
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 Which structures are found in a yeast cell which are absent in bacteria?
 Explain the role of transcription factors.
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 Why is work more likely to be accepted by other scientists if it appears in journals such
as Nature?
 Explain the role of the promoter sequence.
 Describe the light dependent reaction of photosynthesis
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 Explain the importance of bacteria converting atmospheric nitrogen to ammonia for the
recycling of nitrogen.
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How might ‘assassin cells’ identify cells which are cancerous?
What are the possible risks of using viruses to deliver ‘assassin cells’?
What are the stages involved in testing a new treatment before it is certified as safe?
How is insulin involved in regulating glucose levels in the blood?
What is a stem cell?
Suggest how a stem cell could develop into an insulin-producing cell.
What type of cell division would cells use to ‘reproduce over and over again’?
Describe the stages of the cell cycle.
Why do some people feel there should be a separate government body to oversee
synthetic biological research?
What are the possible ‘perils’ of synthetic biology suggested by the 2010 report?
Explain how society uses scientific knowledge to make decisions about the use of
synthetic biological organisms.
Suggest why fuels created by synthetically altered organisms cannot compete
economically with regular petroleum products.