humanity questions 1130 df10

Introducing  Glofish , fish with a brilliant flourescent color by means of special "breeding", i.e., genetic manipulation.  A true scientific novelty, but what ethical dilemmas are introduced by such genetic tampering?

What is Biotechnology?

Currently, we are in the Information Age and, over the last few decades, have witnessed an unparalleled explosion of data being amassed in what seems to be every field of study. With this given spate of knowledge, there come nexuses where two more disciplines converge and become one, being known as interdisciplinary studies.

This is the rich heritage of biotechnology, for as its name implies, it is the coalescence of both biological science and its technological application. The term was first coined by Karl Ereky in 1919 to describe all manufacturing processes incorporating the aid of living organisms; however, the term biotechnology has accrued a more broad application since then. In a literal sense, biotechnology is the manipulation of biological systems with the primary goal of application through the conduit of technology. The progenitors of biotechnology are biology and technology.

Biology  is most loosely defined as the study of living organisms in all their diversity. It encompasses studies ranging from the microscopic to the macroscopic, and some sub-disciplines of biology include, physiology, zoology, microbiology, biochemistry, cellular biology, and genetics. Given the rich assortment of sub-disciplines of biology, it is no wonder that when they should be considered in tandem that the scope of possibilities becomes exponential immediately. As one must conclude, the biological portion of biotechnology covers a wonderfully diverse terrain.

Technology  is the underlying application of science, and is a transliteration of the Greek word, technologia meaning systematic treatment. That is, technology is a tool with which to manipulate knowledge and parlay it into something novel and useful.

Some of the applications of biotechnology include alcoholic fermentation, food preservation, bread-making (yeast-induced fermentation), pharmaceuticals (e.g. insulin and growth hormone production by microbes), bioremediation, water treatment by microbes, cloning (e.g. Dolly), bioengineering, gene therapy, genetically modified foods, transgenic animals, and many others. The world s biotechnological quotient increases with each new publication, and countless new publications appear every day.

References:

Oxford English Dictionary, Technology - Overview and Brief History  Available @ http://www.accessexcellence.org/AB/BC/Overview_and_Brief_History.html

"As our nation invests in science and innovation and pursues advances in biomedical research and health care, it's imperative that we do so in a responsible manner." --President Barack Obama

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