OK, science lovers. You may want to hold onto your hat for this one, because biotechnology is an extremely cool part of science, and it has given the world a lot to be thankful for. In fact, it has contributed to a lot more things than you may even realize, and it shapes the world around us – and how we live – every day.
But what is biotechnology?
In short, it’s when a biological process or system is used to create a different product. Whilst this sounds pretty horrible, it’s not as Frankenstein-esque as you may think, and it’s not about trying to create weird half-living, half-dead things. Here, we’ve noted down 4 of the best breakthroughs of biotechnology.
- Bread
OK, we know what you’re thinking. Bread? However, this is actually one of the oldest biotechnology processes, alongside the acts of making wine and beer. Bakers take a live product – the yeast – and use it to make an end product: that tasty loaf of bread. Sure, this isn’t as complex as some other biotechnology developments, and you can put the PFA tubing away for this one, but it’s still something that we use every day, and it’s thanks to science. Sandwich anybody?
- 3D technology for surgery
When you have surgery, it’s something that can really knock you off your feet for some time. However, the more precise the surgery is – and the more efficiently it is carried out – the quicker you will recover. Biotechnology has given us 3D technology, so that doctors can see exactly where they need to make incisions in the body, and it also allows them to diagnose problems with a lot more efficiency than methods used in the past. Biotechnology is pushing surgery forward!
- Face transplants
Suffering from an injury or accident can have many devastating impacts, and one of them may be that it changes your appearance quite dramatically. However, skin grafts have been used thanks to biotechnology, and they have even been shown to work for full-face transplants. Not only does this give the patient back the ability to live a normal life, but it just goes to show how great science can be, especially those developments in biotechnology. Pretty amazing, right?
- Sequencing the human genome
One of the most important breakthroughs in biotechnology (and biology as a whole), many scientists worked on sequencing the entire human genome, so that they could put together every single base pair that makes up DNA. In 2003, they finished this massive task, and biotechnology has been pushed further forward, as scientists begin to understand the blueprint that builds up a human being. This will, in the future, help to get rid of certain diseases, too.
So, biotechnology has given us a whole host of things, that we rely upon for survival. This ranges from a loaf of bread, to the full-face transplants that save people’s lives. Sounds pretty good, huh? If you’re interested in how this amazing part of science is shaping our futures, then it’s certainly worth reading further into it!
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