Developments in Biotechnology
Biotechnology can be defined in many ways and although different involved organizations do explain it in their own terms, ultimately, biotechnology is the use of biology as the foundation for developing various technologies as applied to research and product development. So, biotechnology can be used in food science, agriculture, environment, medicine and even robotics fields.
We have always tried to manipulate and control the world, change it to suit our needs. We do that when we ferment beer, we do it when we culture bacteria, and now we have moved to new levels that would have been considered impossible a few decades back – we have cloned animals and research has turned to concepts like nucleotide-based organ regeneration.
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 eighties marked an epoch in biotechnology with the discovery of new concepts, the most important being that modification of genetic structures was possible through combinations of plants and animals. This discovery led to research into fields like disease resistance and increase in productivity rate. Medicine and research in other fields of biology have found the most use for biotechnology. Now, plant-generated pharmaceuticals are common enough, as are creation of insulin and antibiotics.
Modern biotechnology is practiced in three different categories – red, white and green. Red Biotechnology is when the genetically altered microorganisms are used to produce medical and pharmaceutical substances, such as proteins, vitamins, antibiotics and vaccines etc. It’s also used in genome manipulation.
White Biotechnology is also known as bio-manufacturing and Grey Biotechnology. This is not yet a completely established field and involves manipulating live organisms to create important industrial chemicals. Some of the organisms used in these techniques include bacteria, enzymes, moulds and yeast.
Green Biotechnology is important in agriculture – making better produce that stays fresh and lasts longer, and is more nutritious. This is something people have been doing for a long time – making sturdier crops, like cross-bred wheat for example.
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