Biotechnology Definition
Biotechnology: (Britannica definition) “The use of biology to solve problems and make useful products.”
from the Columbia Encyclopedia: “the use of biological processes, as through the exploitation and manipulation of living organisms or biological systems, in the development or manufacture of a product or in the technological solution to a problem.”
the UN definition: “any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use.”
While the term ‘biotech’ seems ultra-modern, the beginnings of biotechnology are the beginnings of human society itself; agriculture and animal domestication serve as both the major turning point in human development and the start of a broad discipline — one which could conceivably solve the major problems that have beset mankind since the dawn of civilization.
Learning the basic principles of growing and harvesting, brewing and fermenting, and even basic genetics (though largely accidental or trial-and-error), early civilizations started us well on the road to the disciplines that we know of as biotechnology today. However, the century of discovery and progress starting with the mid-1800s saw the biggest leaps in scientific understanding, with the development of microbiology.
The most recognized branches of biotechnology are undoubtedly biopharma and genetics. The health industry is strongly motivated to plumb biotechnology’s promise of more efficient treatments for resistant medical conditions, as well as combating hereditary complications.
Biotechnology’s genetic advances also bring us the current and controversial situation in agriculture, animal breeding, and human ‘customization’ (for lack of a better word). Genetically-modified (GM) crops have been hailed as the savior of many of the world’s fundamental problems (starvation, health, resources inequities, et cetera), as well as the End of Life on Earth Forever (from unchecked environmental catastrophe). Likewise, cloning offers incredible potential, but also considerable ethical and cultural barriers.
The chief attraction of biotechnology (to us, and to many others) is its unmatched potential for sustainability. Additionally, there’s an almost aesthetic satisfaction from replacing inorganic structures and processes with the forms and systems of nature itself; biotechnology could potentially forge a stronger connection between humanity and its environment.
Technological advances in sports equipment allow there to be junior golf clubs. And lightweight, effective and balanced just right for smaller people.
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