Biotechnology

Biotechnology uses organisms, cells, or biological molecules to develop products, processes, or technologies. It ranges from traditional fermentation to genetic engineering and cell-based manufacturing.

Recombinant DNA: DNA formed by joining genetic material from different sources. It enables engineered organisms to produce useful proteins and other products.
Polymerase chain reaction: A laboratory method that rapidly makes many copies of a selected DNA sequence. Amplifying DNA makes genetic material easier to analyze, modify, and use.
Fermentation: A metabolic process in which microorganisms convert organic substances into other products, often without oxygen. Human use of fermentation is an ancient form of biotechnology based on living organisms.
Genetically modified organism: An organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. Modified crops and microbes show how biotechnology can change organisms used in agriculture and industry.
Chemical synthesis: The production of compounds through controlled chemical reactions. Biotechnology often uses cells or enzymes where chemical synthesis would use nonliving reactions.
Monoclonal antibody: An antibody population made of identical molecules that bind one specific target. These engineered or selected antibodies are major biotechnology medicines and diagnostic tools.
CRISPR: A family of microbial immune systems adapted as tools for targeting and changing DNA. CRISPR enables precise edits that can alter an organism's traits or cellular behavior.
Louis Pasteur: A French chemist and microbiologist whose work established key principles of germ theory and fermentation. His research connected microorganisms to practical processes such as food production and disease prevention.
Bioethics: The study of ethical questions arising in biology, medicine, and related technologies. Biotechnology raises questions about consent, access, ecological risk, and limits on intervention.
Traditional breeding: The selection and crossing of organisms to increase desired inherited traits over generations. It changes populations through reproduction rather than directly manipulating genetic material.

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