The field of biotechnology encompasses a variety of applications, each with distinct implications. Ethical debates and social controversies arise particularly in areas such as cloning, human genome modification, and assisted reproduction.
Transhumanism is a philosophical and intellectual movement which advocates the enhancement of the human condition by developing and making widely available sophisticated technologies that can greatly enhance longevity and cognition.
Disadvantages
Cloning, the modification of the human genome and assisted reproduction are matters of ethical debate and social controversy.
Decrease in labour and small farmers. Increased yields mean that fewer workers are needed and the high cost prevents smaller landowners from taking advantage of the benefits.
The risks include unforeseen allergies, poisoning of living organisms and modified bacteria escaping from a laboratory
The proliferation of laboratory foodscould end crop diversity. It may also affect the balance of ecosystems.
Uses and Application
The revolution of the new smart materials hand-in-hand with biotechnology has only just begun, with the main advantage that it can make easily degradable products. Such products help the environment because they generate less waste at the time of destruction, as is the case with biodegradable plastics.
The development of insulin, the growth hormone, molecular identity and diagnostics, gene therapies and vaccines such as hepatitis B are some of the milestones of biotechnology and its alliance with genetic engineering. In addition, it is also used in the diagnosis of diseases due to its ability to perform very complicated tests in a shorter time and at lower cost.
Advantages
Helping to reduce poverty and hunger: One of the objectives of biotechnology is to enable more land to be cultivated and more food to be produced.
It favours healthy and sustainable agriculture — it provides more nutritious, toxin and allergen-free food — — it limits the use of pesticides and chemicals —.
It improves medical diagnosis, reduces infection rates, minimises the side effects of medications and favours progress in developing countries.
Subtopic
It reduces CO2 emissions by 52 %, optimises the use of water and reduces waste and chemical processes thanks to techniques such as recombinant DNA.
Types
Black
This includes all research work on micro-organisms that can be manipulated to attack human health. Its main activities are related to biological warfare and bioterrorism.
Purple
It deals with the legal study of the very aspects of this science. They are closely related to intellectual property, patents and the biosafety of processes involving living organisms.
Gold
Also known as bioinformatics it is responsible for obtaining, storing, analysing and separating biological information, especially that related to DNA and amino acid sequences.
Grey
. Its purpose is the conservation and restoration of contaminated natural ecosystems through, as mentioned above, bioremediation processes.
Blue
This exploits marine resources to obtain aquaculture, cosmetics and health care products. At the environemntal level, the aim is to preserve marine species and ecosystems. In addition, it is the branch most widely used to obtain biofuels from certain microalgae.
White
The industrial branch works to improve manufacturing processes, the development of biofuels and other technologies to make industry more efficient and sustainable.
Green
It is used by more than 13 million farmers worldwide to fight pests and nourish crops and strengthen them against microorganisms and extreme weather events, such as droughts and frosts.
Red
This is the health branch and responsible, according to the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), for the development of more than 250 vaccines and medications such as antibiotics, regenerative therapies and the production of artificial organs
