Tag: science & technology

Karl Ereky, a Hungarian engineer, coined the term 'biotechnology' in 1919 to describe the interaction between biology and technology. Norman Borlaug is known as the father of the Green Revolution, Louis Pasteur was a French microbiologist, and Gail Martin coined the term 'embryonic stem cells.'

Transposons are mobile genetic elements that can move and replicate within the genome. They're called 'jumping genes' because they can change positions, potentially causing mutations or regulating gene expression. Alu sequences and P elements are specific types of transposons, but the general term for all jumping genes is transposons.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the species of yeast used in baking and brewing. It's a fungus that ferments sugars to produce carbon dioxide and ethanol, which causes bread to rise. The other options are bacteria, not fungi.

Lactobacillus is the genus of bacteria responsible for fermenting milk to produce curd (yogurt/dahi). These bacteria convert lactose into lactic acid, which causes milk proteins to coagulate and thicken. Streptococcus is a different genus that includes some species used in dairy but not primarily for curd.

Alec Jeffreys discovered DNA fingerprinting in 1984 at the University of Leicester. He developed the technique that analyzes variations in DNA to identify individuals. Karl Landsteiner discovered blood groups, not DNA fingerprinting.

RIA stands for Radioactive Immunoassay, a technique used to measure concentrations of antigens or antibodies using radioactive labeling. It was developed by Rosalyn Yalow who won a Nobel Prize for this work. Rich Internet Application is a computing term but not the biological context.

Gregor Mendel is known as the father of modern genetics for his work on pea plants in the mid-19th century. He discovered the fundamental laws of inheritance through his experiments. St. Thomas Abbey is where he worked, not a person.

Ruth Handler, co-founder of Mattel, created the Barbie doll in 1959, naming it after her daughter Barbara. The other options list inventors of entirely different items: Erno Rubik invented the Rubik's Cube, James Gibb developed the tea bag, and George Crum created the potato chip.

Norwegian engineer Erik Rotheim patented the first aerosol can design in 1927, which later revolutionized spray technology. The distractors are from different fields: Rudolf Diesel invented the diesel engine, Thomas Hancock developed rubber vulcanization, and Ralph Scheider is not associated with aerosols.