Biotechnology is Nothing New
1
There are lots of ways to describe biotechnology. It is a process whereby living organisms are used to develop stronger and better plants and animals. Biotechnologists strive to improve the quality of a human being's life and their experiments provide us with ever-improving food, medicine and alcohol.

2
There is nothing new about biotechnology. It has been around for thousands of years. Experiments that early man made when they started using fermentation processes to make wine and bread can be considered biotechnology. This is because fermentation is a biological process by one-celled organisms.

3
When substances ferment to form alcohol, bacteria or yeast mix with the ingredients that feed them. As the substances digest the food they produce by-products: alcohol and carbon dioxide. The living cells change the chemical elements and create new products. When bread is made the process is the same. Our ancestors experimented with the fermentation conditions and discovered that they were able to improve the quality of the ingredients. They also discovered that by changing certain conditions they could increase their yield.

4
The fundamental techniques that are applied to agriculture today have existed for thousands of years. The first farmers realised that by selecting only the best seeds for planting the following year, their harvests would be more abundant and their crops of a higher quality. As time went on farmers became more and more skilful at choosing the right seeds.

In the 1860s Gregor Mendel did research into plant improvements using peas. He understood that there was a genetic basis behind the selective seed process. He learnt that there were benefits to be obtained from hybridization. By cross-breeding he was able to produce peas that had a combination of the best qualities from various types.

5
In 1897, the German scientist Buchner discovered that yeast enzymes convert sugar into alcohol. This was a major breakthrough in the world of biotechnology. Buchner’s discovery led the way for sewage purification systems that transformed filthy industrial cities and undoubtedly saved or extended millions of lives.

6
No article about the history of biotechnology would be complete without mentioning Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin in 1928. The antibiotic came from the mold Penicillium and its discovery was a turning point in Medicine.

The interest in molecular biology which started in the 1940s laid the foundations for the enormous developments in biotechnology that exist today.