What is biotechnology?

It sounds like the plot point of the movie Gattaca. Maybe sci-fi images of cloned creatures marching
in a line come to mind. The word biotechnology might also conjure up images of scientists in white
coats plotting the destruction of the world. It's actually not as complex and intimidating as it sounds.
Biotechnology is all over the place. Don't worry, there's no need to run for cover.

Biotechnology has been occurring for thousands of years. In agriculture, plants have been bred to
produce larger yields. Animals have been specifically bred to produce more meat, more milk, or
perhaps more wool. Wool is especially important for all the sweater-wearing penguins of the world.

Now that we know biotechnology is all up in our cookies and milk, it's safe to say it covers a broad
range of techniques. Some of them are relatively straightforward, like picking plants that naturally
produce the most seeds for next year's harvest. Others involve molecular biology and biochemical
techniques to manipulate genes.

In this chapter, we will peek inside the biotechnology toolbox and look at some of the most common
techniques used by scientists. We will cover DNA technology, gene expression, and function. Then
we will get into how organisms are cloned. Most of these techniques have been developed to serve
some sort of purpose outside of science. Gasp. We will play a little CSI and look at how
biotechnology is used in forensics and medical applications.