Application of technologies on biological systems, dead organisms and their derivatives and food and medicine can be broadly defined as Biotechnology. It never had a particular definition since its applications and implementations on various other areas of science are enormous. From manipulating crops and plants to increase the yield to transfer of genes from one organism to the other biotechnology encompasses almost all the living and non-living entities on earth. With the drastic improvement in various machineries and equipments used in the processing of biological materials and the examining of microscopic organisms biotechnology has come a far way since the traditional days of fermentation like techniques, which also is a part of biotechnology.
In the earlier times, biotechnology’s application was limited to agriculture and in the production of fermented food products but with the discovery of newer and much complicated data comprising of the most smallest of structures that are measured in microns biotechnology has been found fruitful in the production of many useful products that improves the quality of life of mankind. The categories of science like genetic engineering, animal cell culture, plant cell culture, microbiology, molecular biology, cytogenetics, cryopreservation, bioprocessing, biochemistry, cell biology, embryology, immunology and bioinformatics all these come under biotechnology.
Biotechnology has wide prospects when it comes to environmental science as well. It is used to recycle and retreat the wastes that are left behind at contaminated sites by various industries. This process is termed as bioremediation. Many experiments concerning DNA and RNA and other molecular structures in the human body also comprise of a wide area of practical biotechnology. Mapping of the genes has risen a lot of interest in this decade and with the completion of the Human Genome Project newer prospects for biotechnology has paved way.
Biotechnology has found promising applications in Pharmaceutical manufacturing as well. From the production of antibiotics to the purification and separation processes for biomolecules. Biotechnology has its presence felt almost everywhere. Biotechnology plays a massive role in the field of medicine as well. As more and more genetic diseases are brought into picture it is through biotechnology that we try and find ways and means of manipulating the genes and discovering the cure for the disease.
Also with the depleting natural resources for fuel and the environmental effects caused by the use of the conventional fuels can be curbed to a certain extent with the proper manifestation of biotechnology in the production of biorenewable fuel from crops. Biotechnology can speed the production of ethanol and methane for natural gas from these crops.
Overall, biotechnology improves the quality of life and brings in new horizons of modern techniques in various aspects of human life.
