facts about biotechnology
1. PCR is routinely used to identify the sources of new infectious diseases. The technology was used during the SARS epidemic in 2002 and 2003 to identify Coronavirus as the culprit and trace its origins -- work which took just one year to complete.
2. DNA fingerprinting, used in paternity testing or to identify criminals, is possible with the smallest amount of genetic material.
3. Each cell in your body contains about two meters of DNA. If laid end-to-end it would measure 200 billion kilometers.
4. Fermentation is a great way to produce many other foods and chemicals. Renewable oils company Solazyme (ticker: SZYM ) is commercializing an industrial biotechnology platform using heterotrophic algae to produce a wide range of fatty acid-containing oils.
5. Several varieties of important agricultural crops have been given genes from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, which produces a natural insecticide. The breakthrough led to a 9% drop in worldwide pesticide use from 1996 to 2011, while Bt cotton and Bt corn saved farmers $57 billion in pesticide costs.
2. DNA fingerprinting, used in paternity testing or to identify criminals, is possible with the smallest amount of genetic material.
3. Each cell in your body contains about two meters of DNA. If laid end-to-end it would measure 200 billion kilometers.
4. Fermentation is a great way to produce many other foods and chemicals. Renewable oils company Solazyme (ticker: SZYM ) is commercializing an industrial biotechnology platform using heterotrophic algae to produce a wide range of fatty acid-containing oils.
5. Several varieties of important agricultural crops have been given genes from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, which produces a natural insecticide. The breakthrough led to a 9% drop in worldwide pesticide use from 1996 to 2011, while Bt cotton and Bt corn saved farmers $57 billion in pesticide costs.