Biotechnology
Olivia Frisella
What is Biotechnology?
What is the role of DNA in Biotechnology?
DNA is what controls the cell’s jobs and helps the cells operate correctly. Scientists understand that DNA can be controlled to perform certain actions. Understanding DNA helps scientists come up with ideas to help create immunity against diseases and outbreaks in agriculture. They can also create plants that can withstand certain weather. Understanding DNA helps create new ideas that better life on earth like improving antibiotics and medicine. More and more people are learning so DNA has a big impact on biotechnology.
How is Biotechnology used in DNA testing?
How is Biotechnology used in health industry in making medicines like penicillin and insulin?
Biotechnology works to improve medicine and health by helping finding cures for certain diseases and improving antibiotics and vaccines so less people get affected. They try to build up immunity for certain diseases and prevent more outbreaks from happening. Biotechnology has contributed to the discovery of traditional small molecule pharmaceutical drugs as well as drugs that are results of biotechnology. The contribution of biotechnology to science has also made our understanding of biology and scientific knowledge of normal and disease biology a lot better. The skill people possess to develop new medicines to treat previously untreatable diseases has improved and is getting better. It is much better to research and create vaccines than it was in the past, and more effective vaccines can be made through biotechnology.
How is Biotechnology used in agriculture?
Biotechnology is used in agriculture by the scientists studying how to help a plant survive during cold winter and how for these plants to endure very dry heat or really windy storms. They help improve plants’ health. Genetically modified crops ("GM crops", or "biotech crops") are plants used in agriculture, the DNA has been modified using genetic techniques. Most goals the scientists try to reach is to introduce a new trait to the plant which does not occur naturally in the species. Examples in food crops include endurance to certain pests, diseases, stressful environmental conditions, resistance to a herbicide, reduction of spoilage, or improving the nutrients of the crop. Examples in non-food crops include production of pharmaceutical agents, biofuels, and other industrially useful goods, as well as for bioremediation. GM crops also give benefits. Many people are concerned about the environment and GM crops. People aren't so sure whether food produced from GM crops is safe and how expensive these crops are. With Biotechnology added to plants, plants will have a possibility of not getting mushy when you put salad dressing on them or not spoiling when you put them in a fridge.
How is Biotechnology used in environmental clean-up (bioremediation)?
What are the potential negative impacts of Biotechnology?
Some bad things about Biotechnology is nobody knows what Gm foods can do to humans, since it’s not natural, it can become very harmful and unhealthy for humans. The pesticides going on plants and ending up on fruits that we eat in the grocery store can affect us and can be very harmful. It goes against some peoples’ religions and if it leads to people living longer, it can cause starvation and overpopulation. Not only that, it’s quite expensive.