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A sterile male release program involves releasing a large number of radiation-sterilized male mosquitos into a wild population. When a sterile male mates with a wild female, what is the expected outcome for the population?

A friend tells you she thinks genetically modified organisms are harmful to the environment, too dangerous to use, and that she avoids them. How might you respond to her comments, and what factual information could you share that might help her understand them better and perhaps worry less? How are GMOs created and used, and how does this compare with traditional breeding approaches? Please explain briefly but clearly in a full paragraph (minimum 4-5 sentences).

Where do the processes of gene expression occur in a human cell?

The influenza vaccine and many other vaccines you have likely received usually consist of either proteins representing the pathogen, or an inactivated (“killed”) or otherwise “attenuated” (harmless) version of the pathogen. In response to the vaccine, B lymphocytes of your body produce antibodies that bind specifically to the protein or pathogen. This effectively “trains” your immune system to be able to rapidly and powerfully respond if you are exposed to the actual pathogen, thereby protecting you. By contrast, the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 that is causing the global pandemic are instead mRNA vaccines, meaning they consist of mRNA sequences of genes from the coronavirus. Each contains the mRNA that codes for the viral spike protein, a protein on the surface involved in attachment and uptake by the cell. If classical vaccines rely on the injection of a protein in order for the immune system to respond to produce antibodies that bind that protein, what is the mechanism of this mRNA vaccine? I.e., how does this mRNA vaccine elicit a proper immune response yielding antibody production that will bind and block the coronavirus? What do the antibodies bind to on the virus? Please explain briefly but clearly in a full paragraph (minimum 4-5 sentences).

A scientist is using a bacterium to produce a human protein. To do this, they create a version of the human gene from mRNA that has the introns removed. Why is it important to remove the introns from the gene before inserting it into the bacterium?

Bt corn is a genetically modified crop that produces a protein from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis that is toxic to certain insect pests. How does this compare to traditional pest control methods in agriculture?

A species of bacteria  in a lab grows on a nutrient agar containing glucose. The bacteria have genes for metabolizing other sugars, such as lactose and sucrose, but they are not being expressed. What is the reason for this?

During the process of translation in a ribosome, the mRNA sequence is read in a specific way to determine the amino acid sequence of a protein. How is the mRNA sequence read?

What is the concept of valuing every part of nature, not just the animals? (Hint think Aldo Leopold).

This is the picture of the crickets that has an added marking on it. What method would you use to measure their population size?