The beginnings of human civili zation can be traced back to the time , ne- ly 12 ,000 years ago , when th e early humans gradually ch anged from a life of hunting and gathering food , to producing food. This beginning of pri- tive agriculture ensured a dependable supply of food , and fostered the living together of people in groups and the development of s o c i e ty. During th is time, plant s e e ds were recognized a s a valuable s o ur c e of food and nutrition , and began to be used for growing plants for food. Ever s i n c e , plant seeds have played an important role in the development...

The double helix architecture of DNA was elucidated in 1953. Twenty years later, in 1973, the discovery of restriction enzymes helped to create recombinant DNA molecules in vitro. The implications of these powerful and novel methods of molecular biology, and their potential in the genetic manipulation and improvement of microbes, plants and animals, became increasingly evident, and led to the birth of modern biotechnology. The first transgenic plants in which a bacterial gene had been stably integrated were produced in 1983, and by 1993 transgenic plants had been produced in all major crop...

The double helix architecture of DNA was elucidated in 1953. Twenty years later, in 1973, the discovery of restriction enzymes helped to create recombi- nant DNA molecules in vitro. The implications of these powerful and novel methods of molecular biology, and their potential in the genetic manipulation and improvement of microbes, plants and animals, became increasingly evi- dent, and led to the birth of modern biotechnology. The first transgenic plants in which a bacterial gene had been stably integrated were produced in 1983, and by 1993 transgenic plants had been produced in all major...