Two Types of Biotechnology
Biotechnology is a rapidly advancing tool that can be effectively utilized by several industries to improve their outcomes and functions. Essentially, Biotechnology can be defined as the use of the processes of which micro organisms create and sustain as well as the colonies of the single celled microorganisms themselves to cultivate new and cutting edge technologies. This innovative form technology is coined as biotechnology will either solve a problem or enhance the function of a diverse list of applications. There are two main variants of biotechnology, the first is medical biotechnology that intends to improve our health and medical advancements, and the second is agricultural technology which has the intention of expanding the yield of crops. Biotechnology can also be used in fields that do not involve other living things but can take advantage of the use of them.
A couple of relevant examples of medical biotechnology are the antibiotics used to treat infections and the preventative vaccines available on the market today. Medical Biotechnology can help researchers gain an understanding of how a cells DNA works and how the DNA can be manipulated in cells in order for them to perform the desired function. Likewise, a very weak version of a disease can be grown and then used as a vaccine. A vaccine works on the body by introducing cells with markers for a specific pathogen to the immune system so that when it fights them off the first time it will remember the markers of that pathogen the next time it is encountered and know to kill it off. The development of antibiotics utilize medical biotechnology in order to grow the actual antibodies that cause the antibiotic to be effective in treating and preventing infections.
The development of crops that are highly resistant to pests naturally and the selective breeding of animals and plants are all relevant examples of agricultural biotechnology in action. By genetically modifying crops to produce a protein that keeps a myriad of fungus pest types away, farmers can save money and eliminate the unpleasant side effects of pesticide use on their crops. Similarly, animals and plants are able to be bred selectively all the way down to the molecular level by distinguishing the genes that bring about the desired traits. Once that is done, only animals or plants that have that particular gene of which produces the desired trait are bred together to have offspring that will have that trait for certain. This is especially helpful to produce cattle that are less prone to certain diseases or to breed cattle that will have a high yield of meat from being generally larger.
Click here to read the original article.
