Download Genetically-Modified Salmon

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Links to the current (2006) specifications
AQA
11.6 Why are individuals of the same species different from
each other? What new methods do we have for producing
plants and animals with the characteristics we prefer?
11.8 How do humans affect the environment?
Edexcel
Topic 2 – Genes: B1 a 2.10
OCR Gateway
B2h: Sustainability
OCR 21st
B3.4 Why do some species become extinct, and does it
Century Science matter? What is the importance of biodiversity?
How Science Works
The content in this presentation can help illustrate how scientists:
• consider applications and implications of science and appreciate their associated risks and
benefits
• consider ethical issues in the treatment of humans, other organisms and the environment
• appreciate the role of the scientific community in validating new knowledge and ensuring
integrity
• appreciate the ways in which society uses science to inform decision making.
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The AquAdvantage® Salmon
A US biotechnology company is trying to get its geneticallymodified salmon approved for sale for human consumption.
The AquAdvantage® Salmon, developed by AquaBounty
Technologies, is an Atlantic salmon that contains the
growth hormone gene from a different type of salmon.
This makes it grow twice
as fast (but not bigger) as
a normal Atlantic salmon,
reducing production time
and costs.
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For and against
The company says the GM
salmon will help meet the rising
demand for animal protein in a
more environmentally-friendly
way than standard fish farming.
The fish is nutritionally and
biologically the same as nonGM salmon.
All the salmon are sterile females and kept in physicallycontained, land-based facilities to reduce the risk of escape
and cross-breeding with wild salmon.
Critics say that, should the fish escape, they could threaten
natural salmon populations.
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GM salmon: voting time
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