Biotechnology

Definitions: Biotechnology

Biotechnology

Noun

1. The branch of molecular biology that studies the use of microorganisms to perform specific industrial processes; "biotechnology produced genetically altered bacteria that solved the problem".

2. The branch of engineering science in which biological science is used to study the relation between workers and their environments.

Date "biotechnology" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1985. (references)

Specialty Definitions: Biotechnology

Domain	Definitions
Aerospace	The application of engineering and technological principles to the life sciences. (references)
Agriculture	See genetic engineering. (references)
Chemical Industry	The development of microbial and biochemical processes on an industrial scale. Source: European Union. (references)
	Any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use Ú. Source: European Union. (references)
Engineering & Technology	Biotechnology and genetics [VE1]. Source: European Union. (references)
Environment	Techniques that use living organisms or parts of organisms to produce a variety of products (from medicines to industrial enzymes) to improve plants or animals or to develop microorganisms to remove toxics from bodies of water, or act as pesticides. (references)
Health	Body of knowledge related to the use of organisms, cells or cell-derived constituents for the purpose of developing products which are technically, scientifically and clinically useful. Alteration of biologic function at the molecular level (i.e., genetic engineering) is a central focus; laboratory methods used include transfection and cloning technologies, sequence and structure analysis algorithms, computer databases, and gene and protein structure function analysis and prediction. (references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Specialty Definition: Biotechnology

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Biotechnology is technology based on biology, especially when used in agriculture, food science, and medicine.

Of the many different definitions available the one formulated by the UN "Convention on Biological Diversity" is the most all encompassing:

"Biotechnology is any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use."

One section of biotechnology is the directed use of organisms by humans for production (beer, milk-products, skin). Naturally present bacteria are also involved in the mining industry in bioleaching. Other uses of biotechnology involve recycling, treatment of waste, cleaning up sites contaminated by industrial activities (bioremediation) or production of biowar agents.

There are also applications of biotechnology that do not use living organisms. An example are DNA chips used in genetics, or radioactive tracers used in medicine.

Although biotechnology is publicly associated with cloning and genetic engineering, the goal of biotechnology is to advance the tools of medicine and solve problems related to the production of biologically derived products, not the whimsical manipulation of life.

Today, biotechnology, or modern biotechnology, is often associated to the use of genetically altered microorganisms such as E. coli or yeast for producing substances like insulin or antibiotics. It can also refer to transgenic animals or transgenic plants, such as Bt corn. Genetically altered Mammalian cells, such as Chinese Hamster ovarian cells, are also widely used to manufacture pharmaceuticals.

Sub-fields of biotechnology

There are number of jargon terms for sub-fields of biotechnology.

Red biotechnology is biotechnology applied to medical processes. An example would include an organism designed to produce an antibiotic, or engineering genetic cures to diseases through genomic manipulation.

White biotechnology, also known as '\grey biotechnology', is biotechnology applied to industrial processes. An example would include an organism designed to produce a useful chemical.

White biotechnology tends to consume less resources that traditional processes when used to produce industrial goods.

Green biotechnology is biotechnology applied to agricultural processes. An example would include an organism designed to grow under specific environmental conditions or in the presence (or absence) of certain agricultural chemicals.

Green biotechnology tends to produce more environmentally friendly solutions then traditional industrial agriculture. An example of this would include a plant engineered to express a pesticide, thereby eliminating the need for external application of pesticides.

The term blue biotechnology has also been used to describe the marine and aquatic applications of biotechnology, but its use is relatively rare.

Biotechnology timeline

8000BC collecting of seeds for replanting. Evidence that Babylonians, Egyptians and Romans used selective breeding practices to improve livestock.
6000BC brewing beer, fermenting wine, baking bread with help of yeast
4000BC Chinese made yoghurt and cheese with lactic-acid-producing bacteria
1500 plant collecting around the world
1800 Nikolai I. Vavilov created comprehensive research on breeding animals
1880 microorganisms discovered
1856 Gregor Mendel started recombinant plant genetics
1919 Karl Ereky, a Hungarian engineer, first used the word biotechnology
1980 modern biotech with recombinant DNA, mostly on best studied E. coli bacteria to produce insulin and other medicins, in human form (rather than before used animal insulins, to which about 5% of diabetics are allergic)
1992 FDA approves of the first GM food from Calgene: "flavor saver" tomato
2000 completion of Human Genome Project

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Biotechnology."

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Abbreviations & Acronyms: Biotechnology

The following table is compiled from various sources, across various languages. When English abbreviations or acronyms come from a non-English source, this is noted.
Entry	Source	Expression	Field
BINDER	English	Biotechnology Network and Databased European Research	N/A
Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references).

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Synonyms: Biotechnology

Synonyms: bioengineering (n), ergonomics (n). (additional references)

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Crosswords: Biotechnology

English words defined with "biotechnology": bioremediation. (references)

Specialty definitions using "biotechnology": BancAmerica Robertson Stephens, biomolecular, biomolecular modelling, biotechnology industry, biotechnology market ♦ Designer Bugs ♦ Michael Weichselgartner, modern biotechnology, mutual organisation, mutual organization ♦ University of Edinburgh. (references)

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Modern Usage: Biotechnology

Domain	Usage
Movie/TV Titles	Perspectives in Science: Biotechnology (1989)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Commercial Usage: Biotechnology

Domain	Title
References	Cistron Biotechnology, Inc.: International Competitive Benchmarks and Financial Gap Analysis (reference) International Biotechnology Trust PLC: International Competitive Benchmarks and Financial Gap Analysis (reference) ENBC - Enchira Biotechnology Corp.: International Competitive Benchmarks and Financial Gap Analysis (reference) Enchira Biotechnology Corp: International Competitive Benchmarks and Financial Gap Analysis (reference) IGENE Biotechnology, Inc.: International Competitive Benchmarks and Financial Gap Analysis (reference) (more reference examples)

Books	Basic Biotechnology (reference) Biotechnology from A to Z (reference) Biotechnology Unzipped: Promises & Realities (reference) Opportunities in Biotechnology Careers (reference) Plants, Genes, and Crop Biotechnology (reference) (more book examples)

Periodicals	Agricultural & Environmental Biotechnology Abstracts (reference) American Biotechnology Laboratory (reference) Biotechnology (reference) Biotechnology Advances (reference) Biotechnology And Biotechnological Equipment (reference) (more periodical examples)

Theater & Movies	Biotechnology Occupations (reference) Careers: Biotechnology Occupations (reference) (more DVD examples; more video examples)

Music	Biotechnology (reference) (more classical music examples; more popular music examples)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Non-Fiction Usage: Biotechnology

Subject	Topic	Quote
Health		OMIM was developed for the World Wide Web by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). (references)
		The factor VIII products produced through biotechnology have been found to cause inhibitors in only about 5 percent of patients and are, thus, safer in this respect. (references)
		Collaborative and coordinated research efforts will involve basic scientists, clinical researchers, other NIH Institutes, and the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. (references)
Business		The United States is the leader in biotechnology. (references)
		In conclusion, Hong Kong imports of biotechnology testing instruments should grow strongly. (references)
		In 1999, the Executive Yuan approved a five-year development plan for the biotechnology industry. (references)
Economic History	Finland	Ten percent of Europe's biotechnology companies are Finnish. (references)
	Ecuador	Plant varieties and other biotechnology products are also protected. (references)
	Belgium	Both federal and local governments are strong supporters of biotechnology. (references)
Political Economy	Italy	It is currently too early to determine his views on the use of biotechnology in agriculture. (references)
	POLAND	Poland implemented regulations on biotechnology and genetically modified organisms (GMO), following EU norms in mid-2001. (references)
	JAPAN	The U.S. government believes that mandatory labeling stigmatizes foods derived through biotechnology by suggesting a health risk when there is none. (references)
Trade	Philippines	Food products derived from modern biotechnology can be imported subject to the usual customs regulations. (references)
	India	Venture capital financing has been very active in select sectors and this is having a substantial impact on mobilization of finances for nascent, high growth sectors such as information technology and biotechnology. (references)
	Finland	Finland's attitude towards biotechnology is markedly more open than in many other EU Member States and Embassy Helsinki has been working actively with Finnish partners to distribute accurate and scientific information on this issue. (references)
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

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Usage Frequency: Biotechnology

"Biotechnology" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 97.47% of the time. "Biotechnology" is used about 316 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted)

Parts of Speech	Percent	Usage per 100 Million Words	Rank in English
Noun (singular)	97.47%	308	16,464
Noun (proper)	1.27%	4	175,879
Noun (common)	1.27%	4	175,879
Total	100.00%	316	N/A

Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.

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Usage in Company Names: Biotechnology

Country	Name	Country	Name
United Kingdom	International Biotechnology Trust PLC	USA	ENBC - Enchira Biotechnology Corp.
	(more examples...)

Source: compiled by the editor from Icon Group International, Inc.

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Expressions: Biotechnology

Expressions using "biotechnology": biotechnology drug ♦ biotechnology industry ♦ biotechnology market ♦ modern biotechnology ♦ very small biotechnology firm. Additional references.
Hyphenated Usage
	Beginning with "biotechnology": biotechnology-based.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Frequency of Internet Keywords: Biotechnology

The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com.

Expression	Frequency per Day	Expression	Frequency per Day
biotechnology	1,207	journal of biotechnology	17
biotechnology job	557	agricultural biotechnology	16
santa cruz biotechnology	121	biotechnology and bioengineering	15
biotechnology company	81	biotechnology conference	14
pharmaceutical biotechnology	59	biotechnology definition	13
biotechnology hr hurmanresources	52	job in biotechnology	12
upstate biotechnology	43	biotechnology company france in	12
biotechnology career	42	biotechnology france in industry	12
biotechnology industry organization	40	biotechnology letter	12
biotechnology news	35	applied microbiology and biotechnology	12
nature biotechnology	33	massachusetts biotechnology council	11
biotechnology stock	32	biotechnology history	11
biotechnology industry	29	maryland biotechnology	11
plant biotechnology	26	biotechnology article	11
food biotechnology	23	career in biotechnology	11
biotechnology and product	22	national center for biotechnology information	10
biotechnology hr human manager pharmaceutical resource training	19	agriculture biotechnology	10
biotechnology pierce	19	marine biotechnology	10
biotechnology information	18	texas biotechnology	10
biotechnology employment	18	environmental biotechnology	10
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Modern Translations: Biotechnology

Language		Translations for "biotechnology"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses.
Chinese		�"�物工艺学 (bioengineering). (various references)

Danish		bioteknologi (bioengineering, bio-engineering), bioteknik (bioengineering, biotechnics), biologisk teknologi. (various references)

Dutch		biotechnologie (bioengineering, bio-engineering, biotechnics), biotechniek (bionics, biotechnics). (various references)

Finnish		bioteknologia, biotekniikka. (various references)

French		biotechnologie, biotechnique (biotechnics). (various references)

German		Biotechnologie (bioengineering, bio-engineering), Biotechnik (bioengineering, biotechnics). (various references)

Greek		βιοτεχνολογία (biotechnics). (various references)

Italian		biotecnologia (biotechnics). (various references)

Japanese Kanji		�"�物工学 , �"�命工学 , ハ長調 (bar, bar code, barbarism, barbecue, barbell, barber, barell, bargain, bargain sale, bargaining power, bartender, barter, base, Bayer, BBQ, Berkeley, berkelium, Berkley, Bermuda shorts, Bermuda Triangle, berth, bias, biathlon, bio, bio music, biochip, biocomputer, bioconversion, bioelectronics, bioethics, biofeedback, biogas, biography, biohazard, bioholonics, bioindustry, bioinfomatics, biomass, bionics, biopsy, bioreactor, biorhythm, bioscience, biosensor, biotelemetry, biotron, bird carving, bird sanctuary, bird watching, birdcall, birdie, Birmingham, birth, birth control, birthday, bourbon, Burberry, burger, burlesque, burner, burn-out syndrome, burst, buying power, by, bye, C major, crowbar, Farbenfabriken Bayer Aktiengesellschaft, hair combed in stripes across a bald pate, old man who takes Viagra, scale, updating a software version, Vermont, vernier, verse, version, vertical marketing, violin, violinist, virgin, Virginia, virginity, virtual, virtual circuit, virtual reality). (various references)

Japanese Katakana		バイオテクノロジー , バイオ (bio), せいぶつ�"うがく, せいめい�"うがく. (various references)

Korean		생물공학. (various references)

Pig Latin		iotechnologybay

Portuguese		biotecnologia (bioengineering, bio-engineering). (various references)

Russian		биотехнология. (various references)

Serbo-Croatian		biotehnologija. (various references)

Spanish		biotecnología (biotechnics). (various references)

Swedish		bioteknologi (ergonomics). (various references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references.

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Misspellings: Biotechnology

Misspellings
	"Biotechnology" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: biotecnology. (additional references)
Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references).

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Rhyming with "Biotechnology"

# of Phoneme Matches	Pronunciation	Word(s) rhyming with "biotechnology" (pronounced bī'ōte'knÄ"lujē)
6	-n Ä" l u j ē	chronology, criminology, dendrochronology, endocrinology, ethnology, Hymnology, immunology, limnology, penology, terminology.
5	-Ä" l u j ē	anesthesiology, anthology, anthropology, apology, archaeology, archeology, astrology, bacteriology, biology, cardiology, cosmetology, cytology, dermatology, doxology, ecology, embryology, entomology, epidemiology, epistemology, ethology, etiology, etymology, genealogy, geology, geomorphology, gerontology, graphology, gynecology, histology, ideology, kinesiology, meteorology, methodology, microbiology, micropaleontology, mineralogy, morphology, mycology, mythology, neurology, numerology, oncology, ontology, ophthalmology, ornithology, otology, paleontology, pathology, petrology, pharmacology, physiology, Pomology, psychology, radiology, rheumatology, seismology, serology, sociology, theology, toxicology, urology, virology, zoology.
4	-l u j ē	analogy, cosmology, elegy, eulogy, trilogy.
3	-u j ē	prodigy, strategy.
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits.

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Anagrams: Biotechnology

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams
	Words within the letters "b-c-e-g-h-i-l-n-o-o-o-t-y"
	-3 letters: beclothing, ethnologic, technology.
	-4 letters: blotching, ethnology, iconology, theogonic, theologic.
	-5 letters: belching, botchily, botching, cetology, clothing, cogently, conglobe, cooeying, cooingly, ethology, etiology, gonocyte, letching, neologic, oecology, oenology, oinology, oncology, ontology, theogony, theology, tocology.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro.