1) In the past couple of decades, the field of biotechnology has exploded. Biotechnology companies make products including vaccinations, medicines, and industrial bacteria that can be used to treat waste or clean up toxic spills. 2) Biotechnology is closely related to the fields of genetics and genetic engineering, which have also made dramatic advances in recent years. Genetics is the study of genes and heredity, while genetic engineering is the changing of genetic material to produce specific results. Beginning in the 1950s, genetic researchers led by Rosalind Franklin, J.D. Waston and F.H.C. Crick, examined the chemical code carried by all living things. Their research established the central role of DNA in the chromosomes that determine human heredity. Their work revealed the "double helix" spiral-shaped DNA that carries hereditary traits from parents to children. 3) Ongoing genetic research has produced new drug therapies to fight human diseases. Research has also created new strains of fruits and vegetables that are intended to fight disease or thrive in conditions where they usually don't grow. Genetic clothing, or the process of creating identical organisms from the cell of an organism, has many practical applications in raising animals and in biological research. 4) Biotechnology and genetic engineering have brought benefits, but also debate. Some people understandably, believe that genetically modified foods are unnatural and potentially dangerous. The possibility of cloning genetically identical mammals has also raised questions about the role of science in creating and changing life.
What can be used to fight human disease?