Developments in Biotechnology
There are plenty of explanations of what biotechnology is, but the simplest one is that it is a field of study where biology is the foundation on which different kinds of technology are developed. Biotechnology is the basis of many different kinds of research in the fields of environment, food science, robotics, agriculture and medicine.
We have always tried to manipulate and control the world, change it to suit our needs. We do that when we ferment beer, we do it when we culture bacteria, and now we have moved to new levels that would have been considered impossible a few decades back - we have cloned animals and research has turned to concepts like nucleotide-based organ regeneration.
Biotechnology was in practice much before the actual term was used to describe it. The basics began with very simple scientific methods such as preserving foods for winter. The first fruit juice fermentation to produce alcohol is believed to have been done in 6000 BC. Back then, it was more of an art than an actual science.
The biotechnology we know today started gaining attention only about twenty years ago, when genetics were discovered to be the primary element for synthesizing essential proteins in an organism. The discovery of DNA and the related development of molecular biology was the true beginning of biotechnology as we know it now.
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.
There are three different kinds of biotechnology that are practiced - red biotechnology, white biotechnology and green biotechnology. Red biotechnology deals with the genetic alteration of microorganisms for use in the production of pharmaceutical and medical substances like vitamins, vaccines, antibiotics and proteins, as well as in the field of genome manipulation.
White Biotechnology is also called bio-manufacturing, or Grey Biotechnology. In this field, live organisms are changed and controlled to produce industrial chemicals. The organisms that White Biotechnology uses are moulds, enzymes, yeast and bacteria.
Green Biotechnology is important in agriculture - making better produce that stays fresh and lasts longer, and is more nutritious. This is something people have been doing for a long time - making sturdier crops, like cross-bred wheat for example.
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