Genetic Engineering Examples

The term engineer comes from the latin word ingenieare which means "devise." If we are discussing genetics then we are talking about the life code of an organism, the sequence of genes that gives an organism its traits and characteristics. When we put the two terms together, genetic engineering refers to the use of biotechnology to alter the genetic code of an organism. This altering of the genetic code may be the addition of gene, the deletion of a gene, or simply the cloning of another genetic code.

1. Bt-corn or corn that grows withBacillus thruringiensisalready in it causes insects that eat the corn to die. This means that farmers can use less insecticide spray on their crops.

2. Tomatoes have been genetically engineered to grow larger and last longer so they can be transported and last longer without rotting.

3. Salmon have been genetically modified to grow on fish farms. The modification causes them to reach their full size faster since wild salmon take three years to reach their mature size, and they may also grow larger than wild salmon.

4. The gene that allows spiders to create their webs has been inserted into goats so they create goat milk with the spider web protein and then they can extract the spider web material to create biosteel.

5. Scientists have engineered bananas to contain vaccines for hepatitis B and cholera. So you can become vaccinated for these diseases simply by eating a banana.