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A Layperson's View of Future Technology and Society   

The Future of Biotechnology

What is Biotechnology? Biotechnology broadly defined is using living organisms to solve problems or to make products. From this definition, one could say that biotechnology has been practiced by human society for a long time, in such activities as baking bread, brewing, breeding crops or animals. Today, it is still biotechnology, but scientists have a better understanding of cells, biological molecules, proteins, DNA and other building blocks of life. Scientists are now using nanotechnology to manipulate life at the atomic level. The National Center for Biotechnology Information web site has plain language introductions to bioinformatics, genome mapping, molecular modeling, SNPs, ESTs, microarray technology, molecular genetics, pharmacogenomics, and phylogenetics. What Can Biotechnology Do? Here are some of the current and predicted capabilities of biotechnology. End of world hunger, global starvation Foods that are better for you and last longer Disease and pest resistant crops Accurate delivery of precise amounts of drugs, e.g., targeting cancer cells without damaging nearby healthy cells Regenerative medicine, replacement organs Designer organisms Slowing or stopping aging Biological computing, wearable computers Biological fabrication of clothing, plastics, and building materials Environmentally friendly manufacturing processes that minimize waste Microbial cleansers Ultra-strength, lightweight materials Agricultural Biotechnology Agricultural biotechnology is a broad range of tools, including traditional breeding and genetic engineering, that are used to modify plants or animals. Read more about agrobiotechnology

Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., is the director of the National Human Genome Research Institute at the National Institutes of Health. He led the successful effort to complete the Human Genome Project.

The Human Genome Project refers to the international effort to discover all the human genes and make them accessible for further biological study. Many consider this project to be the most significant scientific undertaking of our time. The ultimate goal is to improve human health.

Human Genome Project

Related links:

Are There Missing Pieces to the Human Genome Project?

Types of Genetic Engineering

	Natural Selection - Nature's own genetic engineering.
	Selective Breeding - Altering the course of natural selection.
	Genetic Manipulation - Altering the genes of cells and organisms
	Genetic Engineering - creating new genes, proteins and organisms

A Clone Again, Unnaturally

Cloning scares me.  Then again, so do spiders. What I found after my brief research for this article, is that there are different types of cloning. And just like spiders, some types of cloning I should be wary of, but many may be considered beneficial.

Cloning

Regenerative Medicine

Researchers and medical doctors of today hope to make the legendary concept of regeneration into reality by developing therapies to restore lost, damaged, or aging cells and tissues in the human body.

Regenerative Medicine

FoldIt

Foldit is a revolutionary new computer game enabling anyone to contribute to important scientific research.

Foldit

Biotechnology Articles Online

Antarctic Genes To Be Used In Frost Tolerant GM Wheat

Making Gasoline from Bacteria

Intelligently Designed Evolution

Plague of Bioweapons Accidents Afflicts the US

Human Genome Further Unraveled

Human Genetic Engineering - Wikipedia

Say no to genetic engineering - Greenpeace

Genetic Engineering and Its Dangers

Congress Passes Bill Barring Genetic Discrimination

Are microbes the answer to the energy crisis?