Era of new technologies (Part II)

Now let us look at how microorganisms can help the power industry.

The concept of creating biochemical energy sources has a long history. In the past century it arose on many occasions, then became forgotten and later again surfaced. In recent years the development of microelectronics and space technology has led scientists of many countries to search for new biochemical energy sources. Aided by what is known as "electric" microorganisms, which generate and accumulate electricity, cheap economical small-sized biochemical cells have already been created. It has been discovered that "living electric batteries" could already be used in systems of providing spaceships with hydrogen, oxygen, drinking water and air. At this stage, biochemical cells generate energy for sea buoys, automatic sonar systems, lighthouses and other types of signalling and safeguarding equipment.

The rapid growth of urban centres and their population has created a problem of waste utilization. Of all domestic wastes the greatest trouble is given by plastics. Should used containers be burned? But, resisting burning, plastics only melt and clog up the incinerator lattices and release a smoke which poisons the atmosphere with noxious combustion by-products and stench.

Scientists are searching for a solution by employing microorganisms, and not without some success. Not long ago encouraging news came from Britain: its researchers had grown microbes which convert polychlorvinyl film into carbon. Scientists hope that in the near future bacteria will eventually help solve the problem of urban dump cluttered up by "eternal" plastic packets and other synthetic items. As a step further they will evolve special bacteria which could "infect" plastics in the course of their manufacture. For some time bacteria must remain inactive but when containers are dumped, under the action of the environment they will become activized, destroying the plastics.

The scientific search for useful bacteria, which should be made to work for man, is in fact, only beginning. In time each area of practical endeavour will be able to obtain on demand the required culture of microorganisms. In the future, when man has achieved complete control of these living communities and has learned to create any required microbial culture, he will be able to consider transforming the atmosphere on the nearby planets. He will be able to send enormous clouds containing earthly microorganisms which will hover in the upper layers of, say the Venusian atmosphere, "feeding" on the vast amounts of carbon dioxide discovered in it. The microorganisms would release oxygen and as they multiply this process of creating an artificial atmosphere would accelerate. Within a comparatively short period — centuries, if not decades — the process which took whole geological ages on earth would convert Venus into a planet hospitable to man.

Exercise 8. Point out the main idea of each passage and show proofs in confirmation of your opinion. Look through the text once more and write down the annotation to it.

Exercise 9. Give examples from the text about the application of biochemical energy sources.

Exercise 10. Read and translate the following text in writing. Give the definition of genetic engineering. Title the text.

Biotechnology is the application to industry of advances made in the techniques and instruments of research in the biological sciences. The growth of the field of biotechnology is closely linked to the development in the 1970s of genetic engineering (the directed alteration of genetic material). Substances that have been produced in this manner include human interferon (a natural virus-fighting substance), human insulin, and human growth hormone. The techniques of genetic engineering – splicing, transplantation, and chemical replantation of repressed, nonfunctional genes – also offer the possibility that a number of heredity disorders may be "corrected" by manipulation.

Recombinant-DNA techniques in conjunction with the development of a technique for producing monoclonal antibodies (antibodies produced by single clones of antibody-producing cells) have made an evident impact on medical diagnosis and oncology. Another important use of genetic engineering is the production of bacteria used to biodegrade oil spills and toxic wastes. Biotechnology had its origins in a 1980 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that "alive human-made microorganism is patentable matter." This ruling resulted in the establishment of a number of commercial firms – among them Genentech, Biogen, New England BioLabs, Cetus, and Genex – that manufacture quantities of gene-engineered substances for a variety of mostly medical and ecological uses.

Exercise 11. Read and translate the following articles which give examples of scientific researches.