What is Genetic Engineering?

Question

what does it include, like cloning etc.....

Answer 1

When most people refer to genetic engineering, they are referring to altering a creature's natural genetic code through direct, intentional intervention.

There are lots of things that would be included (some of which can't really be done too well yet): adding completely new material, adding material from another organism, removing existing material, or even to some extent forcibly turning on or off genes. There are probably pretty good examples of all of these - most insulin is produced by bacteria that were given the human gene, some plants have been given genes from other plants or animals, and the like.

It would not necessarily include cloning, since the purpose of cloning is generally to produce a genetically identical creature. No change of genetic material means no genetic engineering. In spite of this, genetic engineers are VERY interested in cloning (they were part of the drive to develop it in the first place) because some uses for genetic engineering require whole herds of modified animals, and cloning one modified animal might be much easier and cheaper than modifying dozens of them.

In a very loose sense of the term, lots of things MIGHT be considered genetic engineering even though they usually aren't. Farmers and dog-owners have been selecting for specific traits for millennia. Tyrants have sometimes tried to wipe whole peoples off the planet for no reason other than their ethnicity and in the name of 'genetic purity'. But now we're getting into broad and fuzzy areas, so perhaps it's best we leave them alone.

Answer 2

I just studied that in school and here is my best answer. Genetic engineering is the process of taking genes from one organism and placing them into another organism. That is a VERY BASIC explanation. You can try to search it on www.Google.com or wikipedia. Hope it helps.

Answer 3

well i guess cloning is in it but it is like when they take a baby thats not born yet they can pick its eye color hair color stuff like that and also gene splicing thats when they fuse two kinds of animals and things like they mixed a mouse and glow worm withch equaled mouse+glowworm= glowing mice