Developments in Biotechnology
Biotechnology can be defined in many ways and although different involved organizations do explain it in their own terms, ultimately, biotechnology is the use of biology as the foundation for developing various technologies as applied to research and product development. So, biotechnology can be used in food science, agriculture, environment, medicine and even robotics fields.
The human involvement in manipulating their environment is now at remarkable levels. From the most basic direct organism manipulations such as fermenting beer and culturing bacteria to advanced nucleotide-based organ regeneration and animal cloning, our knowledge and technology has advanced far beyond what anyone would’ve expected just a decade ago.
But even before there was a name to call it by, biotechnology was in existence. Even something that people have been doing for centuries, like preservatives to keep food edible during winter, is a form of biotechnology. When around 6000 BC, fruit juice was first fermented to form alcohol, it was another instance of biotechnology. Of course, it has emerged as a science only recently.
DNA and genetics played a big part in bringing biotechnology as a science to the forefront. It was recognized as a science when it was discovered that genetics were what played the major part in the synthesizing of essential proteins in any organism.
The eighties saw technological advances being made in leaps and bounds. The same was true in the case of biotechnology. Use of biotechnology in the fields of medicine and biological research became very important and more common. The concept of transgenic organisms was discovered, which led to vast advancement in the fields of disease resistance and productivity rates. Now we have plant-generated pharmaceuticals and production of antibiotics and insulin, as a direct result of this research.
Modern biotechnology is practiced in three different categories – red, white and green. Red Biotechnology is when the genetically altered microorganisms are used to produce medical and pharmaceutical substances, such as proteins, vitamins, antibiotics and vaccines etc. It’s also used in genome manipulation.
White biotechnology, or bio-manufacturing or Grey Biotechnology is still an evolving science. In this category of biotechnology, organisms like bacteria, moulds, yeast and enzymes are manipulated to make industrial chemicals.
Agricultural Biotechnology, also known as Green Biotechnology, is what’s applied into creating better, fresher, more nutritious and longer-lasting agricultural produce. A traditional agricultural biotechnology example is how wheat varieties are cross-bred to produce a disease-resistant crop.
Biotechnology can be defined in many ways and although different involved organizations do explain it in their own terms, ultimately, biotechnology is the use of biology as the foundation for developing various technologies as applied to research and product development....
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