What is Biotechnology?

What is Biotechnology?


The definition of biotechnology varies, but a simple definition is the use of organisms by man. One example of biotechnology is cloning. We have been cloning plants for centuries. Each time a leaf is excised from a violet plant and placed in soil to grow a new plant, cloning has occurred. Today, we are not only doing the physical manipulation at the visual level but also on the molecular level. In modern or molecular biotechnology, we physically select the desired characteristic at the molecular level and add it to the organism's genetic makeup.

Biotechnology is the science for this century. With its advances, we are on the first part of a great journey. Humans have expanded their understanding of the biosphere by journeying into space and exploring the depths of the ocean. We have not only been able to look at the surrounding universe and the depths below with the advancement of tools and techniques, but we also have been able to live there. The advancement tools and techniques is now allowing us to look at the universe of atoms. Biotechnology is utilizing the sciences of biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, computers, and information technology to develop tools and products that hold great promise and concern. Humans have always been "manipulating" organisms to their advantage, but now we are able to manipulate life and materials at the atomic level through nanotechnology.

The two schools of thought about what biotechnology is can elicit much debate. Both use organisms to help man. Whereas modern biotechnology manipulates the genes of organisms and inserts them into other organisms to acquire the desired trait, traditional biotechnology uses the processes of organisms, such as fermentation.

Adapted with permission from Shoestring Biotechnology: Budget-Oriented High Quality Biotechnology Laboratories for Two-Year and High School co-published by the National Association of Biology Teachers and the Biotechnology Institute.