2006-10-20 09:06:54 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
Biotechnology means any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use.
2006-10-20 09:11:18 · answer #1 · answered by GoLd E 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Biotechnology is technology based on biology, especially when used in agriculture, food science, and medicine. The UN Convention on Biological Diversity has come up with one of many definitions of biotechnology:
"Biotechnology means any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use."
This definition is at odds with common usage in the United States, where "biotechnology" generally refers to recombinant DNA based and/or tissue culture based processes that have only been commercialized since the 1970s. Thus, in common usage, modifying plants or animals by breeding, which has been practiced for thousands of years, would not be considered biotechnology. This distinction emphasizes that modern, recombinant DNA based biotechnology is not just a more powerful version of existing technology, but represents something new and different; for instance, recombinant DNA biotechnology allows us to take virtually any gene and express it in any organism; we can take the genes that make crimson color in plants and put them into guinea pigs to make pink pets, or, we can take the genes that make anthrax spores lethal and put them into wheat or rice. This sort of gene transfer was virtually impossible with historical processes.
2006-10-20 23:19:26 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ok I'm going to a Biotechnology School and my Biotech II teacher made us memorize this definition:
Biotechnology-The use of living organisms or the products of living organisms for human benefit in making a product or solving a problem.
Hope that cleared things up and I was so excited to finally be able to use that definition out of class!
Oh and if you were just wondering, some examples would be genetic engineering, Human Genome Project, bioremediation [use of bacteria to clean up environment], and DNA analysis..=]
2006-10-20 17:18:55 · answer #3 · answered by DestinationUNKNOWN 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The term "biotechnology" refers to the use of living organisms or their products to modify human health and the human environment.
2006-10-20 16:54:40 · answer #4 · answered by Gardenia 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
a set of biological techniques developed through basic research and now applied to research and product development. In particular, the use of recombinant DNA techniques.
2006-10-20 17:02:26 · answer #5 · answered by sushobhan 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
have you ever seen the Million Dollar Man?
2006-10-20 16:13:53 · answer #6 · answered by Answer Schmancer 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋