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Getting Our Lives Back Through Biotechnology

admin — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +0000

In recent years, we have really advanced as a species in the realm of technology and science. Every year we develop newer and better smartphones, we create the next great internet app, and we have even made some advances in the field of renewable energy through services like Energy Savings. We have even made some truly notable advances in the field of Biotechnology.

Biotechnology or “biotech” is a field of applied biology that uses living or organic processes in engineering, medicine and any other field requiring byproducts. Among the many different facets and aspects of biotech are probably two of the most controversial and those are the study of stem cells and cloning.

No doubt you have seen the old science fiction tropes about cloning, but the fact of the matter is that there is now more fact to this fiction than ever before. And we aren’t just talking about the possibility to clone entire humans, but the ability to clone body parts as well. Imagine a world where war veterans could have their arms or legs back, where people born deformed could have a shot at an ordinary life, where those slighted by fate could have another chance to walk – with biotech in full swing, we have the chance to give people their lives back and that’s something worth looking into.

Biotechnolgy Now: From 2000 to the Present

admin — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Biotechnology now has become more important than anything before it in the world of science. Biotechnology or biotech is a field in applied biology which looks for the possible uses of bio-processes and living organisms in new ways. It has brought about amazing advancements since the year 2000 in medicine, agriculture, technology, engineering and even other fields like education. It is the holy grail of the new sciences and its applications seem almost limitless, but it has taken until the beginning of the new millennium to see the light of progress.Check out this link here. The breakthroughs in science due to biotech have been especially numerous in the last decade of science. It is likely that we will revolutionize all the known fields of science in the next few decades, simply because of the influence that biotechnology will have on society. Nothing seems to be impossible for this field of study as it grows more expansive. Biotechnology is responsible for breakthroughs in gene therapy, genetic testing, pharmacology, crop yielding, clone technology, biological engineering and it is this field that is responsible for mapping the human genome. It is a controversial and exciting field that will be important in the coming future of human history.

The History of Biotechnology: Before 1800

admin — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Our pioneers today are developing innovative solutions for better products in the agricultural, genetic and medicinal industries. Our pioneers build upon the knowledge that early pioneers including but not limited to the Egyptians and Christopher Columbus discovered. It is because of our past that we can have a better quality life today.

Along the Nile in B.C. times, the Egyptians had some knowledge of scientific processes. In appropriate areas of the Nile Valley, ancient Egyptians bred cattle and geese in order to meet dietary and nutriional needs of their soceity. They used their knowledge to create a more enhanced practice of breeding and fermentation. Ancient Egyptians actually used fermentation processes to create wine. They went on to apply similar techniques to make dough rise for fluffy bread. While it may be very hard to believe, because of these processes that they Egyptians were able to discover, there are over 50 different types of bread within Egypt thousands of years ago.

Then toward the conclusion of the 1400′s, Christopher Columbus and his accompanying exploreres were able to introduce corn to America when he visited this part of the world for the first time in 1492. Spanish explorers came to America with potatoes, which are known to be native to South America. After being introduced to Europe, potatoes were very popular within Germany and Ireland among other countries within Europe.

Our technology has come a long way since before 1800 and biotechnology is still in the process of advancement. It is important to remember that it is because of this past knowledge that early pioneers were able to discover that we can do what we do today.

Scientist Profile: Who Was Gregor Medel?

admin — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Gregor Mendel was born Johann Mendel on July 20, 1822 in what is today the Czech Republic. As a young man he worked as a gardener and beekeeper. After attending his local school he studied at the University of Olomouc, one of the oldest universities in Central Europe. In 1843 he entered the Augustinian Abbey of Saint Thomas in Brno. Upon entering the abbey, he chose the name Gregor. In 1851 the abbot of St. Thomas sponsored Gregor to study at the University of Vienna. In 1853 Mendel returned to the abbey as a teacher. It was during this time he began his ground breaking work on genetics using Pisum sativum, the humble garden pea.

Mendel chose the pea since it was a flowering plant that could be grown in large numbers and its reproduction could be easily manipulated. Peas have male and female reproductive organs and can either self-pollinate or cross pollinate with other plants. He cross pollinated purebred plants with differing characteristics such as smooth or wrinkled skins, purple or white flowers, and yellow or green pods. Mendel cultivated and recorded the results for nearly 29,000 pea plants. His results proved that inherited traits are carried on both dominant and recessive alleles. These became known as Mendel’s Laws of Inheritance.

The History of Biotechnology: Before 2000

admin — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Biotechnology, which is the utilization and manipulation of normal biological processes to develope medicine and fuel for energy (among other things), has it beginnings all the way back to the 19th century. In that time, the people using the first biotechnological concepts did not know they were doing so, and their intents were not to cure diseases but to learn about beer fermentation. Specifically, this field of study was called zymotechnology.
During World War 1, zymotechnological processes had a new demand, as people needed industrial goods in support of the war. Compounds of bacterial fermentation were maximized in yield and used for explosives and fuel.
The term biotechnology was coined right after World War 1 and by the end of World War 2, the biotechnological tools started being applied to medical issues. The first and most significant of these was the development of penicillin.
In the later decades of the 20th century, genetic engineering was developed. Processes such as PCR and gel electrophoresis made it possible to use tiny amounts of DNA, and the same bacterial processes that were used in World War 1 to study function of genes (in both eurkaryotes and prokaryotes), genetic disorders and develop medical marvels.