GM Crickets
For this project we had to find a world problem we felt passionate about solving. We had to create a solution to this problem using biotechnology. After extensive research my group and I decided to solve the problem of hunger and drought, cause why not kill two birds with one stone. We wanted to implement to use of eating crickets to third world countries. Crickets need less water than any livestock animal because they become fully hydrated form he food they eat. Crickets also have more nutrients than any piece of meat of the same size. However we needed a way to use biotechnology in out project. We looked around and found a inedible, near extinct cricket called the WETA cricket. This cricket is about the size of your hand and weighs 2.5oz. The North American cricket is a fully edible cricket full of nutrients. To implement biotechnology we want to put the size regulatory gene of the WETA into the North American cricket's genes though the process of GMO. This would allow it to grow to the size of your hand and be a full meal while only needing 1,5 tsp of water a day to live.
CONTENT:
Drought: a prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall; a shortage of water resulting from this
Hunger: a feeling of discomfort or weakness caused by lack of food, coupled with the desire to eat
GMO: an organism whose genome has been altered by the techniques of genetic engineering so that its DNA contains one or more genes not normally found there
Cricket: an insect related to the grasshoppers. The male produces a characteristic rhythmical chirping sound
Developing country: a poor agricultural country that is seeking to become more advanced economically and socially
WETA: a large brown wingless insect related to the grasshoppers, with long spiny legs and wood-boring larvae, found only in New Zealand
Substitution: the action of replacing someone or something with another person or thing
gmo_crickets.pdf | |
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REFLECTION:
I really enjoyed this project. It had me think outside of the box. Our first idea was to have a drink for cancer patients to help them in Chemo. This at first sounded like a good idea because how it would aid patients. However, there was not a clear way to add biotechnology.
Personally I think I did had a good leadership role in this project. I made sure my group was on task and avoiding distractions. I also think I did a good job on contribution. I helped my team on the creativity part. I am not a very creative person, so normally it is hard for me. However for this project I thought I did a good job.
Two things I can improve on are empathy and staying on task. I can work on respecting my teammates and their ideas. I also need to work on staying on task. Being in a group with my friend did not help my productivity rate. There were many times when I had to reset myself and get back to work.
In the end, it would be fun to do this project senior year and see what I can improve on/change when I get older.