You have the situation of environmental groups accepting the use of more pesticides in order to avoid genetically modified crops. Or consumer activists who advocate depriving consumers of the right to choose products made available with the aid of biotechnology. Or multi-national corporations who advocate their products on the basis of their potential to solve the world food crisis. First of all, biotechnology is not just one thing. And it most definitely is not just food.
Biotechnology includes food, pharmaceuticals, and genomics.
A whole range of scientific disciplines, including biology, physiology, and pathology contribute to and benefit from biotechnology's discoveries. Computer science is very important for much of the most advanced biotechnological research, which in turn stimulates the development of a whole new generation of computer products. Basically, biotechnology uses modern scientific techniques, including genetic engineering, to improve or modify plants, animals, and microorganisms. Actually, biotechnology in agriculture, the most controversial area, is not new except in the degree of predictability and accuracy that genetic transfer through DNA offers in comparison with traditional plant breeding methods. What scientists can now do is to splice plant or animal genes bearing particular traits into the DNA of other organisms.