Since
Mendel’s work was rediscovered in 1900, geneticists have made startling
advances which led to a new era of DNA technology. Beginning in the mid-1970s, a
revolution in the field of biology as the development of recombinant DNA technology led to radically new research
approaches. Recombinant DNA technology has many practical applications. One of
the rapidly advancing areas of study today is genetic engineering, the modification
of DNA of an organism to produce new genes with new characteristics. In fact,
genetic engineering has launched a revolution in biotechnology, the use of
living organisms to perform practical task. Biotechnology includes genetic
engineering and other techniques that make use of natural biological systems to
produce a product or to achieve an end, desired by human beings. Since the dawn
of civilization, humans have bred plants, animals to produce a particular phenotype.
The biochemical capabilities of a microorganisms have also been exploited for a
very long time. Today through genetic engineering, bacteria now produce drugs
that promote human health, proteins that are useful as vaccines and nucleic acids
for laboratory research. Genetically engineered bacteria have been used to clean-up
environmental pollutants, increase the fertility of the soil, and kill insect
pest. Biotechnology also extends beyond unicellular organisms; ways have been
found to alter the genotype and subsequently phenotypes of plants and animals,
including humans.
No comments:
Post a Comment