List key technologies enabling modern uses of biology

Biotechnology is the use of biological agents for technological advancement. Biotechnology was used for breeding livestock and crops long before the scientific basis of these techniques was understood. Since the discovery of the structure of DNA in 1953, the field of biotechnology has grown rapidly through both academic research and private companies. The primary applications of this technology are in medicine (production of vaccines and antibiotics) and agriculture (genetic modification of crops, such as to increase nutrient content). Biotechnology also has many industrial applications, such as fermentation, the treatment of oil spills, and the production of biofuels (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Antibiotics are chemicals produced by fungi, bacteria, and other organisms that have antimicrobial properties. The first antibiotic discovered was penicillin. Antibiotics are now commercially produced and tested for their potential to inhibit bacterial growth. (credit “advertisement”: modification of work by NIH; credit “test plate”: modification of work by Don Stalons/CDC; scale-bar data from Matt Russell)

In this outcome, we will learn about some modern technologies used in biology today.

What You’ll Learn to Do

• List basic techniques to manipulate genetic information (DNA and RNA)
• Recognize technologies used for molecular, cellular, and reproductive cloning
• Understand the basics of genetic engineering

Learning Activities

The learning activities for this section include the following:

• Manipulating Genetic Material
• Cloning
• Genetic Engineering
• Self Check: Key Technologies