What is genetic engineering?
Q: What is genetic engineering?
A: Genetic engineering (GE) is a branch of applied biology that involves changing an organism's genome using biotechnology.
Q: What techniques are used in genetic engineering?
A: Techniques used in genetic engineering include inserting new DNA into the host genome, removing or "knocking out" genes using an enzyme called a zinc finger nuclease, and gene targeting which uses recombination to change a gene.
Q: What is a genetically modified organism (GMO)?
A: A genetically modified organism (GMO) is an organism that has been altered by genetic engineering.
Q: When were the first GMOs created?
A: The first GMOs were bacteria created in 1973 and GM mice were made in 1974.
Q: How have genetic engineering techniques been used?
A: Genetic engineering techniques have been used for research, agriculture, industrial biotechnology, and medicine. For example, enzymes used in laundry detergent and medicines such as insulin and human growth hormone are now manufactured with GM cells.
Q: What objections have been raised about the use of genetic engineering?
A: Objections to the use of genetic engineering include ethical concerns, ecological concerns, and economic concerns related to intellectual property law.
Q: Who won Nobel Prizes for their work on genetics?
A: John B. Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2012 for their discovery that mature cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent; Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna won the Nobel Prize for 2020 for their development of a method for genome editing.
