Essay On Animal Biotechnology

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Have you ever heard of Dolly the sheep or the 8 calves that were cloned from a single cow in Japan? Have you ever read an article about gene splicing or transgenic animals? All of these are examples of animal biotechnology and the results of different experimentations in that field. But what exactly is animal biotechnology? “Animal biotechnology is a branch of biotechnology in which molecular biology techniques are used to genetically engineer animals in order to improve their suitability for pharmaceutical, agricultural or industrial applications”, according to Nature magazine. Summarized, animal biotechnology is the use of science and engineering to modify living organisms. Animal biotechnology dates back to 5,000 B.C.E. but still continues
Genetic engineering is transferring, adding, or manipulating the DNA of an organism to better adapt it to certain conditions. While similar to cloning, it differentiates in that cloning is creating an exact or almost exact copy of an organism while genetic engineering is experimenting with DNA by changing or switching it in an organism. The result of one of these organisms that have altered DNA is what’s called a “transgenic organism.” To create a transgenic organism one organism must undergo gene splicing and once the second organism incorporates the new DNA into its own genetic material it is considered a transgenic organism. One of the main agriculture uses for genetic engineering is through dairy cattle. Recombinant bovine somatotropin, or BST, is taken from transgenic bacteria and injected into cows to promote milk yield and production efficiency. Another future agricultural benefit from genetic engineering is predicted to be an additional nutritional benefit from genetically modified animals. This could provide opportunities to engineer hypoallergenic milk, low-cholesterol eggs, and a more inexpensive and diverse food
With cloning, people are now able to preserve an amazing show animal and create the same animal almost infinitely; with genetic engineering, you could engineer the “perfect” animal. Will this cause a ban on cloned or genetically engineered show animals? Also, can they be put on the market for consumption and it be safe? If pigs are really able to supply grafted organs for humans, will the production of them increase? Animal biotechnology can affect agriculture for good, but will it? On January 15, 2009, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration released their Rules and Regulations for anything concerning genetically engineered animals and their products. This protects the people and makes sure no harm will come to the public through animal biotechnology. The U.S. Department of Agriculture also has different regulations on the use of genetically modified

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