BIOTECHNOLOGY WHAT IS IT? Biotechnology is the use of biological processes to make useful products or applications. Ancient Biotech? Humans have been genetically engineering since the invention of agriculture and the domestication of animals. Breeding the 2 biggest dogs to make a bigger dog is an example of biotechnology.

3 BRANCHES OF BIOTECH Food Genetically Modified Organisms Fuel Biofuels Medicine Production of drugs Cloning 3d Bio-printing All kinds of stuff

FOOD/AGRICULTURE Scientists have used genetic engineering to create new plant varieties. Genetic engineering means altering the genetic code of an organism. This called a genetically modified organism or GMO. Crops can be modified to be resistant to insects, weed killers, diseases, increased nutritional value, easier shipping and be temperature resistant. This results in increased food yield. Animals can be modified to mature faster and grow larger. This results in increased food yield. One benefit of the increased efficiency is that less land needs to be used to create the same amount of food.

FOOD/AGRICULTURE CONTROVERSIES Some people object to the use of GMO as food. Their objections include: Health and Safety Contamination of non-GMO farms Contamination of wild species Reduced diversity of plants Use of animal genes in plants EX: pig genes in tomatoes (A person who was Jewish would want to know) There are people who would like to require foods that have GMOs in them to be labeled. Many food companies are against this.

BIOFUELS A biofuel is a fuel that is produced from a living organism. Some crops can be turned into bioethanol. Bioethanol can be used in many cars instead of gasoline made from oil. This means that it can be grown instead of drilled out of the ground. There is a set amount of oil underground. As that oil is used up, it becomes more expensive, making biofuels an attractive alternative. One of the best things about biofuels is that they can be carbon neutral. The carbon that comes out of your car was taken out of the air by the plant during photosynthesis.

BIOFUELS-CONTROVERSIES The increased popularity of biofuels has created higher demand for certain crops like corn and sugar cane. This raises the price of the crop. You can either use it for food or for fuel, not both. This means that the corn that you buy at the store is more expensive because of biofuel competition. This has a greater impact in 3 rd world countries that struggle to feed their populations.

MEDICINE Scientists have discovered how to use genetic engineering to create bacteria and fungi that produce pharmaceutical drugs. This makes the production of drugs like insulin efficient and inexpensive. Before 1982 people who were diabetic needed to get injections of insulin removed from cows and pigs. Scientists have been able to splice a gene for phosphorescence into several animal and plant species. Here are a glow in the dark cat and fish!

MEDICINE One of the major breakthroughs in medical biotechnology has been genetic research. Genetic testing allows diagnosis of vulnerabilities to genetic diseases. The Human Genome Project has successfully mapped human DNA. They continue work to identify the function of every part of that DNA. 3d Bioprinting is an exciting field in biotechnology. Scientists can use bioprinters to layer individual cells to make tissue. Right now, this can be used to make tissues like skin, heart tissue, and blood vessels. In the future, scientists hope to be able to print entire organs.

ECONOMICS/CAREERS North Carolina has over 650 companies that deal directly with life-science development and over 2,000 companies that are in biotech related areas. Over 60,000 people are employed in biotech careers in NC. Industries- Drug development, research and testing, agricultural feedstock, medical devices, bioscience distribution.