10 Examples of Biotechnology - encyclopedia

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Content

Types of biotechnology
Stages of biotechnology
Advantages of biotechnology
Biotechnology risks
Examples of biotechnology

The biotechnology is the technological application that uses biology (biological systems and living organisms or their derivatives) to create or modify products or processes for the benefit of man and his environment. It uses sciences such as physics, chemistry, mathematics and engineering to develop its advances.

Biotechnology includes practices and discoveries in the fields of medicine, industry, agriculture and in caring for the environment. For example: in the development of new drugs or treatments for certain diseases, the desacrop development and food productionnts, the treatment waste and recycling.

Types of biotechnology

There are different types of biotechnology, each of them is named with a color that identifies it. They are distinguished from each other by the area in which they develop and the methods and means they use.

Red biotechnology. It is the application of biotechnology in medicine.
White biotechnology. It is the application of biotechnology in industrial processes.
Blue biotechnology. It is the application of biotechnology in processes that are related to the sea.
Green biotechnology. It is the application of biotechnology in agriculture.
Gray biotechnology. It is the application of biotechnology in caring for the environment.

Stages of biotechnology

The origin of biotechnology dates back to 4000 BC. C. (approx.) With the beginning of the first civilizations that used the fermentation mechanism to make bread, cheese and wine. This gave rise to traditional biotechnology that uses living organisms to make food or other processes.

The term biotechnology It is attributed to the Hungarian engineer, Károly Ereki (1919). In the last century, modern biotechnology developed from detailed knowledge of the structure of DNA. This made possible its manipulation and the advancement of practices such as genomics, genetic engineering (such as the development of recombinant insulin or transgenic foods) and pharmaceutical therapies.

Advantages of biotechnology

Development of practices that improve the productive capacity of the lands.
Development of practices that improve the nutritional capacity of foods.
Discovery of new drugs for the treatment of various diseases and pathologies.
Development of biorefineries as a means to create new types of renewable products.
Development of bioremediation for the treatment of contaminated land.
Development of practices for recycling waste.

Biotechnology risks

The application of biotechnology in agriculture is one of the most controversial areas. Organizations, activist groups and consumers call for limiting the presence of genetically modified organisms (those that have been modified by genetic engineering) and demand labeling laws to inform consumers about the presence of these organisms in food.

Although studies conducted by the United Nations, the US National Academy of Sciences, the European Union, the American Medical Association and other organizations have reported that these practices are safe, there are concerns about the long-term consequences that they may have on the health of people and the environment.

Genetic engineering also raises ethical and judicial issues. Techniques that artificially modify ecosystems, genetic manipulation or cloning generate fear and rejection in part of the population.