Evolving Biotechnology
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by: RussellM.Stewart
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What exactly is biotechnology? There are plenty of definitions being floated around by different organizations. Using biology in order to develop technology, with regard to product development and research, is what biotechnology entails. The fields biotechnology can feasibly be used in include agriculture, medicine, food science, environment and robotics.
The human involvement in manipulating their environment is now at remarkable levels. From the most basic direct organism manipulations such as fermenting beer and culturing bacteria to advanced nucleotide-based organ regeneration and animal cloning, our knowledge and technology has advanced far beyond what anyone would've expected just a decade ago.
As far back as 6000 BC, we had discovered biotechnology, though, of course, we did not call it that then. That was when people first discovered how to ferment fruit juice into alcohol. We went on to preserve fruits with sugar and meat with salt for sustenance in winter - another instance of early biotechnology. Of course, it has only been studied as a science recently.
DNA and genetics played a big part in bringing biotechnology as a science to the forefront. It was recognized as a science when it was discovered that genetics were what played the major part in the synthesizing of essential proteins in any organism.
The mid 80s brought a revelation in biotechnology - genetic structures could be modified by careful combinations between animals and plants. This introduction to transgenic organisms also developed an area for further research into disease resistance and productivity rate increases. Modern biotechnology is used in a variety of ways and the medical and biological research fields have managed to get the most benefit out of it. The methods used have gone beyond ordinary genetic transfers, to include actual plant-generated pharmaceuticals and substance production for antibiotics and insulin.
There are three categories in modern biotechnology. The first is red biotechnology. This concerns the making of substances used in medicine and pharmaceuticals, like vaccines, proteins, antibiotics and vitamins. Red biotechnology also deals with genome manipulation. The other two kinds of biotechnology are green and white biotechnology.
White biotechnology, or bio-manufacturing or Grey Biotechnology is still an evolving science. In this category of biotechnology, organisms like bacteria, moulds, yeast and enzymes are manipulated to make industrial chemicals.
Green Biotechnology is also called Agricultural Biotechnology. As the name suggests, this deals with making crops and other agricultural produce of better quality, like cross-bred wheat harvests.
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