quarta-feira, maio 13, 2009

Biotecnology by definition

Biotechnology The means or way of manipulating life forms (organisms) to provide desirable products for man’s use. For example, beekeeping and cattle breeding could be considered to be biotechnology-related endeavors. The word biotechnology, coined in 1919 by Karl Ereky, applies to the interaction of biology with human technology. However, usage of the word biotechnology in the U.S. has come to mean all parts of an industry that knowingly create, develop, and market a variety of products through the willful manipulation, on a molecular level, of life forms, or utilization of knowledge pertaining to living systems. A common misconception is that biotechnology refers only to recombinant DNA (rDNA) work. However, recombinant DNA is only one of the many techniques used to derive products from organisms, plants, and parts of both for the biotechnology industry. A list of areas covered by the term biotechnology would more properly include: recombinant DNA, plant tissue culture, rDNA or gene splicing, enzyme systems, plant breeding, meristem culture, mammalian cell culture, immunology, molecular biology, fermentation, and others.