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What exactly is biotechnology? There are plenty of definitions being floated around by different organizations. Using biology in order to develop technology, with regard to product development and research, is what biotechnology entails. The fields biotechnology can feasibly be used in include agriculture, medicine, food science, environment and robotics. People have always tried to manipulate the environment, but never before have we been so close to controlling it. It started from the time when we started fermenting beer, which went to another level when bacteria were cultured. Now we have moved forward to a point where animal cloning and advanced forms of nucleotide-based organ regeneration are being attempted successfully. Biotechnology was in practice much before the actual term was used to describe it. The basics began with very simple scientific methods such as preserving foods for winter. The first fruit juice fermentation to produce alcohol is believed to have been done in 6000 BC. Back then, it was more of an art than an actual science. DNA and genetics played a big part in bringing biotechnology as a science to the forefront. It was recognized as a science when it was discovered that genetics were what played the major part in the synthesizing of essential proteins in any organism. The eighties marked an epoch in biotechnology with the discovery of new concepts, the most important being that modification of genetic structures was possible through combinations of plants and animals. This discovery led to research into fields like disease resistance and increase in productivity rate. Medicine and research in other fields of biology have found the most use for biotechnology. Now, plant-generated pharmaceuticals are common enough, as are creation of insulin and antibiotics. There are three different kinds of biotechnology that are practiced - red biotechnology, white biotechnology and green biotechnology. Red biotechnology deals with the genetic alteration of microorganisms for use in the production of pharmaceutical and medical substances like vitamins, vaccines, antibiotics and proteins, as well as in the field of genome manipulation. White Biotechnology is also called bio-manufacturing, or Grey Biotechnology. In this field, live organisms are changed and controlled to produce industrial chemicals. The organisms that White Biotechnology uses are moulds, enzymes, yeast and bacteria. Agricultural Biotechnology, also known as Green Biotechnology, is what's applied into creating better, fresher, more nutritious and longer-lasting agricultural produce. A traditional agricultural biotechnology example is how wheat varieties are cross-bred to produce a disease-resistant crop.
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