Biotechnology
Biotechnology is not new, because some of the techniques used in biotechnology are ancient.
For example, fermentation, in which microbes are used to produce beer, wine and yogurt or
agriculture, because man has chosen animals and plants from the wild and has gradually
transformed them into crops and farm animals.
Today researchers can take a single gene form an organism and insert him into another one of
a different species. With modern biotechnology we are able to alter genes to control the
production of a specific protein. With this technique, scientists have added a lot of new
species.
The early 70s marked the beginning of modern biotechnology, when scientist learned to alter
the genetic constitution of a living organism, modifying bacteria and proteins which allowed
an innovation in many fields such as medicine, with the production of antibiotics and
vaccines, and agriculture, with son products that help protect endangered species.
Genetic engineering
The DNA contains genes, passed to us in equal parts by our parents. The complete DNA forms
the genome that contains all genes responsible of encoding proteins and determining features
of our body, such as eye colour.
The DNA is a molecular chain located in chromosomes. Genes build some specific proteins
that interact each other to perform most vital functions in cells.
Genetic engineering is the ability to manipulate the genes of an organism to obtain a given
protein and it can be used to produce variety of plants and animals with specific
characteristics.
Gene technology allows us to identify which gene is responsible for a particular characteristic,
and it’s possible to transfer those genes into a different living organism.
Birth of gene technology
In 1953, after the discovery of the DNA structure by Francis Crick and James Watson,
scientists revealed that all living organisms use the same DNA code and because genes are
chemically the same, genes of organisms were potentially interchangeable.
