Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering

ISBN-13: 9780816077847 / Angielski / Twarda / 2010 / 363 str.

Kathy Wilson Peacock

Opis

Biotechnology is the manipulation of a living organism to increase its usefulness. Though it is commonly thought of as a modern practice, it actually began when the early farming civilizations began choosing which crops to plant annually. In recent decades, however, biotechnology has undergone drastic changes due to advances in genetic engineering. Scientists can now alter the DNA of living organisms. Although gene manipulation could address certain health concerns and alleviate the problem of world hunger through engineered crops, some worry about the ethical dilemmas, the possibility of discrimination and eugenics, and unforeseen environmental problems from such radical interference.