Biotechnology

Biotechnology

Process of manipulating organisms, cells, or molecules to produce specific products.

Hybridization

Breeding technique that involves crossing dissimilar individuals to bring together the best traits of both organisms.

Inbreeding

Continued breeding of individuals with similar characteristics to maintain the derived characteristics of a kind of organism.

Selective Breeding

Method of breeding that allows only those organisms with desired characteristics to produce the next generation.

Clone

Member of a population of genetically identical cells produced from a single cell.

Genetic Marker

Alleles that produce detectable phenotypic differences useful in genetic analysis.

Plasmid

Small, circular piece of DNA located in the cytoplasm of many bacteria.

Polymerase Chain Reaction

The techniques used by biologists to make many copies of a particular gene.

Recombinant DNA

DNA produced by combining DNA from different sources.

Transgenic

Term used to refer to an organism that contains genes from other organisms.

DNA Fingerprinting

Tool used by biologists that analyzes an individual's unique collection of DNA restriction fragments; used to determine whether two samples of genetic material are from the same person.

DNA Microarray

Glass slide or silicon clip that carries thousands of different kinds of single-stranded DNA fragments arranged in a grid. Used to detect and measure the expression of thousands of genes at one time.

Forensics

Scientific study of crime scene evidence.

Gene Therapy

Process of changing a gene to treat a medical disease or disorder; an absent or faulty gene is replaced by a normal working gene.