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    The Magic of Cell Fusion: Improving Crops and Livestock: Mikhael O. Santos

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    Mikhael O. Santos
    Cell fusion involves combining two different types of cells to form a new hybrid cell that inherits characteristics from both parent cells. This technique is used in agriculture to develop crops and livestock that are more drought-resistant, higher-yielding, and faster-growing. For example, fusing drought-resistant rice cells with high-yielding rice cells can create a hybrid rice variety that has both drought resistance and high yields. Similarly, fusing native and high-breed pig cells produces hybrid pigs that grow faster than native pigs but are cheaper than high-breed pigs. International research institutes are working to apply cell fusion to develop crop varieties that can adapt to climate change and prevent famine.

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    The Magic of Cell Fusion: Improving Crops and Livestock: Mikhael O. Santos

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    Mikhael O. Santos
    42 views4 pages
    Cell fusion involves combining two different types of cells to form a new hybrid cell that inherits characteristics from both parent cells. This technique is used in agriculture to develop crops and livestock that are more drought-resistant, higher-yielding, and faster-growing. For example, fusing drought-resistant rice cells with high-yielding rice cells can create a hybrid rice variety that has both drought resistance and high yields. Similarly, fusing native and high-breed pig cells produces hybrid pigs that grow faster than native pigs but are cheaper than high-breed pigs. International research institutes are working to apply cell fusion to develop crop varieties that can adapt to climate change and prevent famine.

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    Cell fusion involves combining two different types of cells to form a new hybrid cell that inherits characteristics from both parent cells. This technique is used in agriculture to develop crops and livestock that are more drought-resistant, higher-yielding, and faster-growing. For example, fusing drought-resistant rice cells with high-yielding rice cells can create a hybrid rice variety that has both drought resistance and high yields. Similarly, fusing native and high-breed pig cells produces hybrid pigs that grow faster than native pigs but are cheaper than high-breed pigs. International research institutes are working to apply cell fusion to develop crop varieties that can adapt to climate change and prevent famine.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    42 views4 pages

    The Magic of Cell Fusion: Improving Crops and Livestock: Mikhael O. Santos

    Uploaded by

    Mikhael O. Santos
    Cell fusion involves combining two different types of cells to form a new hybrid cell that inherits characteristics from both parent cells. This technique is used in agriculture to develop crops and livestock that are more drought-resistant, higher-yielding, and faster-growing. For example, fusing drought-resistant rice cells with high-yielding rice cells can create a hybrid rice variety that has both drought resistance and high yields. Similarly, fusing native and high-breed pig cells produces hybrid pigs that grow faster than native pigs but are cheaper than high-breed pigs. International research institutes are working to apply cell fusion to develop crop varieties that can adapt to climate change and prevent famine.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 4

    The Magic of Cell Fusion: Improving Crops and Livestock

    Mikhael O. Santos

    Bio means life and logy means study; this forms the word biology. Why am I talking about biology? Its simple Im going to discuss cell fusion and how it helps us.

    First of all, let us talk about biotechnology. What is Biotechnology? It is a field in science and technology that deals with the use of microorganisms for converting raw

    materials into food, energy, chemicals, animal feeds, medicine, and other products. (Science and Technology Textbook DepEd).

    Biotech is used to improve the lives of the people. It can be through curing of diseases by experimenting on microorganisms and fighting viruses and bacterias. Biotech helps us in many fields like science, medicine, agriculture, veterinary medicine, etc. But to be specific I want to focus on cell fusion and how it changes our lives. Cell fusion is under biotech.

    According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary; Cell is a tiny mass of protoplasm that usually contains a nucleus, is enclosed by a membrane, and forms the smallest structural unit of living

    matter

    capable

    of

    functioning

    independently.1

    shorter

    definition is given by Carmelita M. Capco and Gilbert C. Yang. A cell is a membrane-bound structure that is the basic unit of life.2 Now what is fusion? It is the joining of two different parent cells forming a new cell.

    The new cell created is improved and much better because the cell has inherited the characteristics of the two different cells. Cell fusion helps us improve our crops and livestock. How? For example I have a drought-resistant rice and a high yielding percentage rice. If these rice varieties are combined a hybrid rice is developed inheriting both genes of the parentdonor. Thus, the result is a drought-resistant and high yielding percentage rice. Doesnt that sound good? A single variety of rice (hybrid) is formed and it has the characteristic of two different varieties. I will give another example; pigs, for

    instance I have a native pig and a high-breed pig. If their cells are combined the result will be a hybrid pig. We call it a mestizo. It has the characteristics of both the native and highbreed pig. Its advantage is that it will be cheaper than a highbreed pig.

    1 2

    The Merriam-Webster Dictionary Biology Textbook Carmelita M. Capco and Gilbert C. Yang

    According

    to

    Dr.

    Venus

    Cardenas,

    hybrid

    pig

    is

    much

    better than that of a native pig. She said that hybrid pigs grow faster and bigger than a native pig. Her point of view was the same with an AgriVet Supplier Mr. Idelfonso Rosales in which he said that he prefers hybrid pigs because in three months time the pig is already big and can be sold in the market.

    Now you can really see that cell fusion contributes a huge help to us. It is one great discovery in science. But here in the Philippines we are concerned more about the uses of cell fusion in Agriculture.

    We

    are

    all

    aware

    that

    our

    climate

    changes

    drastically

    because of global warming. Thus, it may ruin the crops of our farmers and may lead to food shortage and famine. We are lucky. Why? We have our International Rice Research (IRRI) in Laguna. The scientists there keep on working to arrive at different varieties of rice that will adopt to climate change. In fact, an article on the Rice Today magazine was written entitled: How a modern rice variety is bred. This article talks about the

    details of how to breed rice.

    Imagine if IRRI came up with a superb variety of rice, famine will no longer be experienced; our economy may grow

    because of agriculture. All the agricultural problems will be solved. But of course we need to find the right cells to combine to create the perfect one. Constant experimentation and research should be done and it will be all worth it if we arrive at great results.

    A simple combination of two different cells may solve the problems in medicine, agriculture and other fields of science. Thats the magic of cell fusion.

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