Biotechnology

What is biotechnology? Discuss some of the areas in which it has been used and is likely to be used.

Biotechnology is the integration of science and technology, but more specifically the creation of agricultural or medical products through the industrial use and manipulation of living organisms. One area that has been used is medicine. While pharmaceutical companies mainly manufacture drugs using a process similar to organic chemistry, biotechnology companies are trying to discover genetic anomalies or medical solutions by exploring organisms at the molecular level or by formulating compounds from inorganic materials that reflect organic substances. Another aspect of biotechnology research focuses on agriculture. Demand for ethanol in the United States is on the rise due to dubious future oil supplies, which shifted focus to maize. The use of maize as an alternative to fuel will not only increase the cost of the good, but will also create an imbalance between consumable maize and the stocks used for biofuel. In addition to the crops, the meat industry can also benefit from this process. The outbreak of mad cow disease in Britain has caused concern when tests for the disease have spread throughout Western Europe; However, the collaborative work of researchers in the U.S. And Japan may have devised a solution to the problem by removing the gene that is the predecessor of making the animal susceptible to this condition. Hunger and poor health conditions are a global problem and the advance of global biotechnology is raising standards (Bud, 1993).