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Biotechnology

Biotechnology is technology based on biology. It is a broad term that describes the practical utilization of live organisms for the purpose of facilitating the production of human necessities such as food, chemicals and services. Biotechnology encompasses such a wide array of procedures that it can be cutting edge or ancient, simple or complex. The use of yeast to bake bread and the use of artificial manipulation for genetic engineering are both examples of applied biotechnology.

Biotechnology can be broken down into a number of more specialized fields: agricultural (such as research for the multiplication of crop yield), medical (such as the production of antibiotics or insulin), marine (such as the development of bacteria that cleans up oil spills), industrial (such as studies to decrease dependence of fossil fuels), etc.

However, scientists are also cautious of the possible undesired side effects that biotechnological advances could instigate. For example, agricultural biotechnology genetically enhances plants through selective breeding and engineering: plants grow more abundantly and efficiently, yet with fewer pesticides used. However, the potential concurrent, yet unintended, result could be the evolution of “super weeds” that are also more resilient and, therefore, more difficult to eliminate.

Book Resources On Biotechnology

Basic Biotechnology by Colin Ratledge (Editor), Bjorn Kristiansen (Editor)
Biotechnology from A to Z by William Bains

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