Week 7: Session 7

This week, our discussions were based on an extension of last week’s theme – The BioBusiness Revolution. This time we talked about the Agricultural, Environmental, and Industrial aspects of BioBusiness.

Throughout the session, we reiterated the importance of sustainable development; whatever we do should aim at protecting and preserving the environment for the future generations.

I was particularly interested in the concept of food security. In many developing countries of the world, there are people who do not have access to sufficient food and are dying due to starvation and nutritional deficiencies.

Food Security, as defined by the FAO is the condition where all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. Everyone has a right to adequate food and to be free from hunger, but we haven’t reached that stage yet.

In terms of alleviating this problem of inadequate availability of food, the Green Revolution was a huge success, especially in developing countries like India. It advocated the use of improved seeds, fertilizers and other technology, which helped to produce higher yields while reducing soil erosion and the use of pesticides.

Yuxuan did a presentation on food security in China. She talked about the methods that China used to overcome food security problems brought about by a loss of arable land, increase in demand for food, environmental pollution, and other problems. One of her discussion questions addressed the issue as to whether the technologies brought about by the Green Revolution bypassed the poorest of farmers. This is possibly true as the poorest farmers try to make a living out of extremely small plots of land, and do not have money to pay for technologies such as improved seeds, fertilizer, irrigation facilities, and so on. So it is likely that they were left behind.

As stated in Reading 7 (How to Feed the World in 2050) for this session, this problem can be solved through peace, good governance, infrastructure, and institutions to disseminate technologies. Somebody else needs to pay for the technology, if the farmers can’t (the private sector could provide funding). However, all this requires skilled people and a lot of time and effort.

Moreover, it is important that our agricultural practices are sustainable and help to protect our environment for future generations.

According to Norman Borlaug, the ‘Father of the Green Revolution’, the Green Revolution and Biotechnology are helping to meet the growing demands for food production while preserving our environment for future generations.

Agricultural practices should be sustainable (while still economic). They should aim at increasing productivity, meeting nutritional needs and reducing environmental impacts. Agricultural biotechnology should be used to help address food, fuel and water shortages. Biotechnology crops help people meet nutritional needs, which is important in developing countries. They also help farmers deal with droughts and water shortages, as such crops are hardier and use water more efficiently. The environment is also benefited in terms of reduced soil erosion, and other negative impacts.

Another area which should be explored more is the generation of fuel from plants.

The growing world population not only requires more food, but also more energy. Scientists have developed new sources of energy that will reduce our dependence on nonrenewable resources. Biofuels from high yield-renewable plants that can be converted to ethanol contribute to a sustainable energy future, while protecting the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Bioenergy crops can produce food, animal-feed, fuel and other products, all from the same plant.

BioBusiness is also concerned with producing various industrial products. For example, the use of enzymes to make industrial products (industrial enzymes) such as: laundry softeners, meat tenderizers, and so on. Such methods are resource and energy efficient, as well as financially efficient, in comparison to the use of traditional chemicals to make industrial products.

Taking into consideration all the requirements and challenges that are being faced by people today, there are many interesting new opportunities coming up in the field of BioBusiness.

I found this session very informative and was intrigued by the details that we went into. I’d rate the session a 9 out of 10.

Week 5: Session 6

Session 6 was about the BioBusiness Revolution 1: Healthcare and the Biomedical Sciences – Past, Present, and Future.

BioBusiness is defined as ‘commercial activity based on the understanding of life and life processes’.

When I think about the developments in BioBusiness, it’s undeniable that we have made great progress from where we were, to where we are today, and future developments are expected to further revoutionalize the way we do things.

Vaccines, antibiotics, advanced methods of performing surgery, prosthetics, and so on, are only some of the products of the BioBusiness Revolution, and it is almost impossible to imagine the healthcare industry today, without these developments.

One aspect of BioBusiness that I think has great potential is Healthcare Information Technology, so I chose to present on this topic in class this week.  

Healthcare Information Technology (HIT) combines ICT with healthcare to produce various devices, applications, and processes which will shape the future of the health care industry.

I believe that mHealth (“the practice of medicine and public health, supported by mobile devices”, according to Wikipedia) has enormous potential in the future. It enables constant connections between patients and healthcare providers, such that they are immediately notified of any abnormalities, and can take action about it right away, preventing serious illnesses. Such technology is already being used today, but only to a certain extent. If this technology is made in a very user friendly manner, it will have even greater potential to solve the inequality problem all over the world.

Another revolutionary change, that I find great interest in, is the development of prosthetics which enable people who have previously had disabilities, to do what they never thought would be possible again.

Something that really blew my mind was that 3D printing can actually be used to create various body parts! The future uses that this technology could be put to, is just amazing to think about.

An issue that goes hand in hand with new innovations is the issue of intellectual property rights. I feel that, to a certain extent, IP rights might stifle innovation by preventing people from gaining access to technology. Instead, the innovator can be paid royalties, such that he is still benefited, but the technology should be left open for others to use, or innovate on.

BioBusiness related innovations are growing at exponential rates and we are sure to see more revolutionary changes in the future.

I rate the session an 8 out of 10.

Week 4: Session 5

In session 5, we looked at Information and Communication Technology (ICT): How it started off in the past, how it is being used in the present, and the developments it will enable in the future.

The internet has gone through an enormous amount of progress since it was first developed. We talked about the 3 generations of the internet, and how they advanced over the years.

The first generation was Web 1.0. It facilitated one way communication where information would be communicated by one person, to many. There wasn’t really any room for the interaction of web-users, which we see today. The next generation Web 2.0, brought about a more interactive environment on the internet. This is the generation we’re predominantly in, at the moment, where we are “prosumers”, and don’t just consume the content on the internet, but produce content as well.

Web 3.0 takes internet usage to a whole new level. It enables the connection of various devices through the internet, to perform an extensive range of tasks to meet our individual needs. We’re already in the age of Web 3.0, however only to a very limited extent. As we continue to develop more uses for it, it will revolutionize the way people interact with each other, as well as with devices. The ground breaking developments that Web 3.0 will enable are imaginable in the near future, as the technology to do so, already exists.

However, though the internet has many positive uses and enables greater communication, it also has negatives in the form of invasion of privacy, identity theft, and other security concerns. It is important for users to be aware of such threats, and use the internet wisely.

ICT also serves as a driver for technological developments in other fields as well, such as the BioBusiness Revolution, Robotics, etc. 

Though ICT is widely used today, its full potential is yet to be harnessed, in order to contribute to bigger concerns like poverty alleviation, universal education, bridging the digital divide, and so on.

However, keeping in mind the negative impacts that such technology can have, it is important to find a right balance while utilizing it, such that we do not grow entirely dependent on it, and sacrifice human relations in the process.