AS

1
AS

• Science in Society

2
Topics Covered

• The Germ Theory of Disease
• Infectious Diseases
• Transport Issues
• Medicines to Treat Disease
• Ethical Issues in Medicine
• Reproductive Choices
• Radiation Risks and Uses
• Lifestyle and Health
• Evolution
• The Universe
• Are We Alone in the Universe?
• Reading and Writing in Science

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The Germ Theory of Disease and Infectious
Diseases

• All living things are composed of cells
• Many diseases are caused by microbes which can be
  passed on from infected individuals
• How bacteria, fungi and viruses cause disease
• The contributions of scientists Semmelweis, Snow,
  Pastuer and Koch in the Germ Theory

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• The body can defend itself against disease using
  the immune system
• The history of vaccinations and how they work
• How antibiotics work and problems with resistance

5
Reproductive Choices

• The function of chromosomes, genes (alleles) and
  DNA
• Patterns of inheritance (including inheriting
  genetic diseases)
• How certain diseases can be a result of both
  inheritance and environmental factors
• Antenatal testing the reliability and
  interpreting information
• Screening for inherited diseases
• Genetic counselling
• The use of IVF and PGD

6
Medicines to Treat Disease and Ethical Issues in
Medicine

• The stages of drug development and the ethical
  issues involved in these stages.
• The legal and moral obligations of pharmaceutical
  companies.
• The use of control groups, placebos and double
  blind studies.
• Reasons for choosing alternative medicines.

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• Stem cells, the potential uses and the ethical
  issues.
• Cloning of animal cells and reproductive cloning.
• The legal and moral responsibility of scientists.

8
Evolution

• To know about the theory of evolution of Lamark
  (before Darwin)
• To know about the theory of evolution from both
  Darwin and Wallace.
• To know about natural selection and its
  implication on organisms.
• To know the importance of competition in natural
  selection.
• To know how Darwin came up with his ideas
  (observations).

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• To know the new evidence which also supports
  Darwins theory.
• To know about some peoples objections to
  evolution.

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