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Advanced biotechnology may provide a unique, closed loop contribution to the energy needs of the future. (U.S. Dept. of Energy) |
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The U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity defines biotechnology as any
technological application that uses biological systems, living
organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or
processes for specific use. Louis Pasteur, who nearly 150 years ago
invented the process of using heat to kill bacteria called
pasteurization, is considered the father of biotechnology. Today's
biotechnology revolution began in the 1970s as scientists learned to
alter the genetic makeup of living organisms by processes other than
traditional breeding practices. Scientific advances in genomics have
allowed investigators to map genes and identify their functions.
Analysts are agreed that applying the twentieth century's advances in
chemistry and physics to life sciences is apt to make biotechnology the
science of the twenty-first century. From new energy sources to novel
medical treatments, advanced materials to enhanced food production,
biotechnology pervades the modern world. Notable U.S. Federal programs
in biotechnology include: As a part of the War on Terror, Sandia
National Laboratories is expanding its efforts in biotechnology,
particularly in new material research. The Department of Energy and
Department of Agriculture have begun an effort to create renewable
energy sources with bioenergy, potentially lessening dependence on
fossil fuels. The National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity
(NSABB) at the National Institutes of Health was established in March
2004 to provide advice to federal departments and agencies to minimize
the possibility that knowledge and technologies emanating from
biological research will be misused to threaten public health.
From CIAO's database:
Agricultural Biotechnology's Complementary Intellectual Assets
Trade in Biotechnology Food Products (PDF)
A Firsthand Report: Cuban Biotechnology
Biotechnology and the Future of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention
Glossary of Biotechnology Terms (PDF)
A Defence of Modern Biotechnology
A Policy Strategy for Crop Engineering
Biotechnology and Biochemical Weapons
Outside Links*:
The National Academies
http://www4.nationalacademies.org/news.nsf/isbn/0309089778?OpenDocument
The National Health Museum
http://www.accessexcellence.org/RC/AB/BA/aapost/toolsmaster.html
Council for Biotechnology Information
http://www.whybiotech.com/
Biotechnology Industry Organization
http://www.bio.org/foodag/
Harvest of Fear (PBS)
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/harvest/viewpoints/
* Outside links are not maintained. For broken outside links, CIAO recommends the Way Back Machine [http://www.archive.org/].
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