Biotechnology is a practice as simple, and as ancient, as brewing beer or making cheese. In a practical sense, biotechnology is nothing more than humans putting to use the natural activity of microorganisms. But in the last twenty years, biotechnology has become one of the world’s most rapidly growing industries, as researchers dig out the ever unfolding capabilities of a single cell.
The preponderance of biotechnology companies are focused on medical science. These corporations not only produce medication, but also do heavy research into the environmental and genetic factors for disease. Their focus on disease prevention powers them forward in the medical business, and the top biotechnology companies may well outpace their pharmaceutical counterparts in as little as five years.
Biotechnology companies also plays a part in environmental science. By manipulating materials at the cellular level, solar energy companies produce receptors that will in time eliminate the need for fuel-based electricity. Similarly, genetic engineering has produced oil-utilizing microorganisms that can be spread over the surface of oceanic oil spills, simplifying the clean-up and the restoration of the ecosystem. Biofertilizers and disease-resistant plants are being developed to replace the toxic chemical pesticides used in conventional agriculture.
The intricacy of cellular function also serves as a model for improving existing industrial processes. Biotechnology has been the key to streamlining chemical manufacturing, decreasing water usage and waste generation in industry, and finding uses for traditional industrial waste.
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