Ethical Issues in Biotechnology 🔬🌿

1. Why do ethics matter? 🤔

Every time people change the DNA of a plant, an animal, or a microbe, the change can ripple through food chains and ecosystems. Clear rules keep experiments helpful and prevent harm. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}

2. Risks of releasing GM organisms 🌱➕🧬

• Genetically modified (GM) organisms may behave in surprising ways once they enter fields, rivers, or forests.
• Scientists must predict these risks before large-scale use. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}

3. India’s watchdog: GEAC 🛡️

The Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) studies every GM research plan and decides whether the work—and any future release—stays safe for people and nature. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}

4. Patents & public anger 💰😠

Some companies patent seeds, medicines, or techniques that farmers and healers have used for centuries. This sparks anger because the patents can block local people from selling their own traditional varieties. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}

5. The Basmati battle 🍚

In 1997, a U.S. firm patented a “new” Basmati rice created by crossing Indian Basmati with semi-dwarf strains. The patent even covered similar grains (“functional equivalents”), so other sellers risked legal trouble. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}

6. Classic cases of knowledge theft 🪴✨

• Turmeric and neem: foreign patent claims tried to lock up age-old Indian remedies.
• Quick legal challenges stopped many of these claims—but only when experts acted fast. :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}

7. Biopiracy = bio-theft 🏴‍☠️🌿

Biopiracy happens when companies use plants, animals, or microbes—and the traditional know-how that goes with them—without asking or paying the communities that discovered them. :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6}

8. Why the North–South tension? 🌍⚖️

• Wealthy nations hold most money and labs, but their ecosystems are less diverse.
• Developing nations own rich biodiversity and deep traditional wisdom but often lack legal muscle. :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7}

9. New legal shields 📝🛡️

Many countries now draft laws that demand fair payment and benefit-sharing before anyone exports native bio-resources. India strengthened its own protection by amending the Patents Act to close loopholes. :contentReference[oaicite:8]{index=8}

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🚀 High-Yield Ideas for NEET

1. GEAC’s role in approving GM research and release.
2. Definition and real-world examples of biopiracy.
3. The 1997 Basmati patent case as a landmark dispute.
4. Link between biodiversity-rich regions and traditional knowledge.
5. Indian Patents Act amendments that safeguard native resources.

🌟 Keep these points handy—questions on ethics and biopiracy pop up often! 🌟