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What Is Biotechnology?
Break biotechnology into its roots and you have
Using biological processes is hardly a noteworthy event. We began growing crops and raising animals 10,000 years ago to provide a stable supply of food and clothing. We have used the biological processes of microorganisms for 6,000 years to make useful food products, such as bread and cheese, and to preserve dairy products. Why is biotechnology suddenly receiving so much attention?
During the 1960s and '70s our understanding of biology reached a point where we could begin to use the smallest parts of organisms-their biological molecules-in addition to using whole organisms.
A more appropriate definition in the new sense of the word is this:
We can get a better handle on the meaning of the word biotechnology by simply changing the singular noun to its plural form, biotechnologies.
Biotechnology is a collection of technologies that capitalize on the attributes of cells, such as their manufacturing capabilities, and put biological molecules, such as DNA and proteins, to work for us.
Cells and Biological Molecules
Cells are the basic building blocks of all living things. The simplest living things, such as yeast, consist of a single, self-sufficient cell. Complex creatures more familiar to us, such as plants, animals and humans, are made of many different cell types, each of which performs a very specific task.
In spite of the extraordinary diversity of cell types in living things, what is most striking is their remarkable similarity. This unity of life at the cellular level provides the foundation for biotechnology.
All cells have the same basic design, are made of the same construction materials and operate using essentially the same processes. DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), the genetic material of almost all living things, directs cell construction and operation, while proteins do all the work. Because DNA contains the information for making proteins, it directs cell processes by determining which proteins are produced and when.
All cells speak the same genetic language. The DNA information manual of one cell can be read and implemented by cells from other living things. Because a genetic instruction to make a certain protein is understood by many different types of cells, technologies based on cells and biological molecules give us great flexibility in using nature's diversity.
In addition, cells and biological molecules are extraordinarily specific in their interactions. As a result, biotechnology products can often solve specific problems, generate gentler or fewer side effects and have fewer unintended consequences. Specific, precise, predictable. Those are the words that best describe today's biotechnology.
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