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General Knowledge is an important component for most competitive exams, namely the UPSC Civil Services Examination, SSC CGL, Bank PO & PSU entrance tests, etc. Therefore, understanding the concepts/terms that are significant in our daily lives is critical for aspirants. To make your preparation easier and to help you score better, we at PaGaLGuY bring you brief articles on trending phenomena and concepts.
This article will discuss major inventions in the field of biotechnology.
1. DNA fingerprinting: It is also known as DNA profiling, DNA typing, genotyping. It was discovered by Dr. Alec Jeffery, a geneticist from the University of Leicester, England. Apart from its use in solving crimes and legal issues like paternity disputes, DNA fingerprinting is also used in establishing identity of individuals, diagnosis, development of cures for inherited disorders, and as a biological evidence for extinct animals.
2. First cloned mammal – Dolly sheep: Discovered by Dr. Hans Spemann, cloning is a technique that produces genetically identical individuals (replicas). The first mammal to be cloned from an adult cell was Dolly, in 1996 at Roslin Institute, Scotland.
3. First test tube human baby: Born in 1978, Louise Joy Brown was the world’s first test tube baby. The technique used was in vitro fertilisation (fertilisation by manually combining an egg and a sperm in a laboratory dish, and transferring the embryo to the uterus). Today, IVF is critical for treatment of animal and human infertility, surrogate pregnancy, increasing survivability of endangered species, etc. India’s first test tube baby, Kanupriya Agarwal was born in 1978 (world’s second test tube baby) using IVF by Dr. Subhash Mukhopadhyay.
4. Humulin (Human Insulin): It is a man-made hormone made by recombinant DNA technology (rDT) for the treatment of insulin-dependent diabetes. First used in 1980, Humulin is considered to be the best replacement for naturally-secreted insulin vis-à-vis others, like animal source insulin.
5. Gene Splicing: It is a form of recombinant DNA technology wherein specific genes or gene sequences are inserted into the genome (complete set of genes present in an organism) of another organism. Paul Berg at Stanford University created the first recombinant DNA molecule using gene splicing. It is used for production of vaccines, proteins, hormones, in gene therapy and for research.
Link to Biotechnology – capsule 1:
https://www.pagalguy.com/articles/general-science-bullet-biotechnology-capsule-1-35012272
Link to Biotechnology – capsule 2:
https://www.pagalguy.com/articles/general-science-bullet-biotechnology-capsule-2-35033362
Link to Biotechnology – capsule 4:
https://www.pagalguy.com/articles/general-science-bullet-biotechnology-capsule-4-35065432
Link to Biotechnology – capsule 5:
https://www.pagalguy.com/articles/general-science-bullet-biotechnology-capsule-5-35131807
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