fandomhigh | Biology, Tuesday, 10/03, Period 2

There were muffins and juice set up for the class on a table at the front of the room, and Elliot was smiling as she waited to address the class. "Hey, everyone. As I promised, your first quiz is today. On the upside? Free food. It's only five questions so it shouldn't take that long.

"After you're done with the quiz, I'd like for you to read the chapter in your books on biotechnology, which technically means, quote, 'any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use.' In the U.S., though, we mostly say it to mean combining DNAs or tissues of different animals or plants -- things like making tomatoes that have enough firefly DNA to glow in the dark. I'd like for you to come up with a biotechnology project you think could be neat -- or an argument against all uses of biotechnology, if you swing that way -- and share it with the class."

"Finally, Ms. Frizzle and I are working on a couple of things together. For one, no class on the 24th -- you're going on a field trip with her class on the 26th to learn about anatomy instead. Meet on the stairs in front of the school before seventh period. If you can't make it, that's cool, but please let me know in advance so we don't wait for you.

Second, there will be a school-wide science fair on December 14. Participation is completely voluntary, but if you want to enter something, your experiment design will count as your midterm project. That's due on November 7. "

"I think that's it; time to get quizzy with it."

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You know what would be cool? A squirrel with wings. Discuss.

Zack looked over his notes. "The use of specialised organisms to help create chemicals that would previously have needed petrochemicals used in the creation process would help take pressure off fossil fuel reserves"

Elliot blinked. "That is actually a very cool idea. It'd be using bacteria to work with us, not against us."

"What if you merged a dog and a cat?" Willow asked. "So you could have all the perkiness of a puppy but it'd be OCD enough to use a litter box instead of needing to be walked every day."

"But what if it would hate itself?," Elliot said, looking worried. "You'd have to make sure the dog genes and the cat genes were all friendly."

"Good point," Willow said. "Plus what if it started chasing itself up a tree?"

"True," Elliot said, shaking her head in exagerrated woe. "That would be one very confused animal. But your initial idea is interesting."

Willow smiled. "Thank you. I suppose we should work to heal the rift between cats and canines so that the byproducts of their marriage don't have to face discrimination."

"But they have flying squirrels already," Teddy pointed out. "Now a shark with wings, that's cool."

Elliot frowned. "How would it breathe?"

"If we can give it wings, we should be able to give it lungs. Right?"

"And wings that folded down into fins so they weren't a problem under water," Elliot said. "Okay, it could work."

Teddy nodded enthusiastically. "Exactly! Like those flying fish."

Jamie draws a stick figure squirrel with wings that seems to hover around a pirate. "Something like this?"

"You got it," Elliot said. "But that was just a random suggestion. What would you like to see?" She paused. "And while I have you here, where were you last Friday, anyhow? It was like somebody declared a skip day for my health class."

"Um... Is there a way to graft a time machine onto a horse or something so I can go back in time and attend your class?" Jamie said meekly.

"Sadly, it doesn't work that way," Elliot said. "Though it'd be really cool if it did." She smiled slightly. "Just try to show up, okay? I only get 14 weeks to try to get through to you people."

"You've gotten through to me!" Jamie said earnestly. "I'm totally reading stuff on Badgers now."

"That wasn't exactly my goal, but I'll take what I can get," Elliot said.

And then, almost despite herself, she added, "Learn anything interesting?"

"Yep! The American Badger has been known to occasionally eat a woodpecker," Jamie answered proudly.

"There really needs to be some thought put into this. I read somewhere that they were trying to use biotechnology to make a potato whose roots would be poisonous to pests? And the whole potato ended up poisonous. Which at least they figured out befor it got on the market." Parker looked thoughtful. "Why can't they make ice cream that's high in vitamins? Really really nutritional milk, that they make into good-for-you ice cream?"

"I'm all for the healthy, but still decadent ice cream," Isabel agreed. "But you are right about the problems they have with crops. What keeps the genetically engineered stuff from mixing with the regular crops?"

"Exactly. There's no point if you make it infertile. ABut you could get a 'superweed' if something cross-pollinates wrong." Parker made a face. "And you can't grow everything in greenhouses to protect them. Too expensive."

"Biotechnology is what they use for insulin production, right?" asked Elizabeth, before glancing down at the notes. "Does it include gene therapy in humans? Or is that something completely different."

Okay, so she hadn't always listened to Carson. Somedays he just went on a little too long.

Genetically altering humans to become part of a superhuman army seemed like a gimme in this case, but Peter didn't feel like sharing that information about the world he came from today, so he was quiet.

Biology, Tuesday, 10/03, Period 2

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