9 minutes
Discover the benefits and risks behind biotechnology. Also, learn what each of its eleven colors mean and how to tell them apart.
Since it began to be implemented more than a century ago, biotechnology has helped man to create multiple technologies and products for his health and well-being. The term is a combination of “biology” and “technology.” At first it was closely linked to agriculture, but today it encompasses fields such as medicine, the environment and biofuels.
In particular, it is a multidisciplinary science that combines the efforts and advances of different areas such as biology, chemistry, computer science and physics. And although it is a fact that thanks to it there has been exponential progress in certain areas, it is not something that is free of dangers and some risks for humanity.
History and use of biotechnology
The term “biotechnology” is not as recent as one might think. Its first appearance dates back to 1919, when the Hungarian agricultural engineer Kárloy Ereki coined it in his work «Biotechnology in meat and dairy production of a large agricultural exploitation». Its use is so old and useful that our ancestors used it in the fermentation of foods such as cheese and wine.
According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD):
Biotechnology consists of the application of scientific and engineering principles for the processing of materials through biological agents, in order to obtain goods and services.
For his part, the DNA discovery In 1953, the use that until now had been given to this science completely changed. And it is that before this historical scientific event, it was not known that all humans share 99.9% of the genome, which is the set of genetic material of DNA. This is how genetic engineering was born.
biotech colors
Colors inspire, motivate and generate emotions. Various industries, from food to cosmetics, use colors to their advantage to link concepts and ideas. And biotechnology is no exception.
Depending on the field in which you are applying, there are different shades to easily distinguish it. While red, green and blue are the most popular, there is a whole rainbow of colors to choose from.
1. Red Biotech
This branch of biotechnology is applied within the field of medicine, both human and animal. It is responsible for studying and analyzing various organisms in order to create alternatives for the solution of diseases. In this way, it is possible to create new antibiotics, vaccines, drugs, molecular diagnostics and regenerative therapies.
One of the most recent examples of its efficient application is the speed with which vaccines against COVID-19 were created. What’s more, it is possible to affirm that it has saved the lives of millions of people around the world by allowing the creation of reliable alternatives for the treatment of diseases such as cancer, diabetes or genetic alterations.
2. Blue Biotech
It is considered the second most important area within biotechnology, since it is in charge of exploring and bringing us closer to all the possibilities that the sea offers us. Because of this, it is also known as “marine biotechnology». It uses as a primary source the biodiversity of marine and freshwater ecosystems, and of all the organisms that inhabit them.
With the above, it allows the development of products and technologies whose origin are aquatic organisms. This means that micro and macro organisms can be used to obtain raw materials, food, nutritional components, cosmetics, drugs, energy generation, among other things.
3. Green biotechnology
Also called “agri-food biotechnology”, it is in charge of the entire agricultural and environmental sector. It is responsible for studying and analyzing various plants and ecosystems through processes that use living organisms. This in order to produce or modify food, improve plants to make them more resistant and find alternatives to mitigate pollution.
Genetically modified plants, known in popular parlance as “transgenic crops,” are one of its best-known examples. This intervention facilitates the growth of plantations by generate more fertile seeds and reduce certain agricultural pests and diseases. For example, in 2013, a transformed maize was created for the first time to withstand intense periods of drought.
4. Brown biotech
This field is closely related to green and blue biotechnology. Also called “desert biotechnology”, it focuses on the treatment and use of arid and desert soils. Like the countryside and the sea, these ecosystems have endless possibilities in terms of resources that can be studied and exploited for the benefit of humanity.
5. Yellow Biotech
The main objective of the well-known food biotechnology is expand the production of new and better food products to make them healthier, safer and cheaper. This is achieved by increasing its quality, reducing its possible damage to the body and prolonging its useful life, but without interfering with its nutritional value.
It is an emerging field in which, for example, the hydrogenation processes of culinary oils are studied in order to reduce possible cardiovascular diseases. It is also classified as a great alternative for developing countries with high rates of malnutrition, since modified foods with a high caloric and vitamin content can be created.
6. Gray Biotech
This area is focused on devising technological solutions that help mitigate the problems derived from climate change and pollution for the health of the environment. Some of its applications are soil sanitation, wastewater treatment, purification of polluting gases and proper recycling of waste.
7. White Biotech
It specializes in the optimization of products through biological processes and clean and non-polluting technologies. It works through the use of living organisms, enzymes and biocatalysts.
These allow the generation of products that are easier to degrade, that require less energy to produce and that produce less waste. It covers different industrial sectors such as chemical, food, energy and environmental.
8. Black biotech
Its main objective is to go against bioterrorism, a term used when viruses or bacteria are intentionally released that can infect or kill people, animals or plants.
This is done by studying potential pathogens and analyzing their genome and biological variability. Its purpose is to prevent and stop its detection by implementing strategies to control or eradicate them.
9. Golden Biotech
It is mainly dedicated to bioinformatics, a necessary tool in biotechnology. Its objective is the use of computer programs to analyze various statistics, experimental data and biological processes.
Its uses are very diverse; from examining the genome of organisms —in order to identify and isolate their genes and the cellular processes in which they participate— to the search for DNA alterations and phylogenetic analyses.
10. Purple Biotech
Some of its main objectives focus on the legal aspects behind biotechnology. We are talking about biosafety measures in processes, data protection, legal patents or bioethical and legislative problems.
It is in charge of rethinking the possible ethical and moral dilemmas that may occur in some procedures, such as gene therapy, cloning, assisted reproduction or genetic modification of animals.
11. Orange Biotech
This area is dedicated to training and dissemination of biotechnology and its applications in various fields of study. His teaching is popular in various universities around the world, as it instructs new generations about the multiple applications of this science for health and the environment.
Main risks associated with biotechnology
Modern biotechnology has brought in its wake great advances for humanity in terms of health and the environment. However, its implementation has also created a series of dangers that did not exist before and to which we must pay great attention. These include those mentioned below.
Risks to the human population
- New pathogens: some contagious organisms such as tuberculosis are still used to make vaccines. However, if they are released by mistake, they can cause diseases and become a great threat.
- allergies: By genetically modifying foods or drugs, allergens can be introduced into products that previously did not have them. Therefore, new reactions occur.
- Toxicity: any added protein or organism must be evaluated to avoid its possible toxicity, since some can cause serious diseases such as cancer, or food intolerances.
Environmental risks
- Loss of biodiversity: the vast creation of engineered seeds and foods may result in a wide variety of crops being replaced by more profitable and effective laboratory alternatives.
- Cross pollination: when pollen from altered crops travels to unmodified plants, it can cause weed growth and make the weed stronger. All this represents a problem for the ecosystem.
- Nutritional alteration: a bad application of recombinant DNA (rDNA) technology can generate an alteration in the nutritional value of food, in addition to a reduction in crop yield.
What is there to remember?
The discovery of DNA and advances in biotechnology in recent decades have helped to solve many health and environmental problems. The wide variety of colors for which its applications are known show the impact it has on various areas of knowledge.
However, it is necessary to use it with caution and always backed up with the necessary studies that corroborate that it is not a health risk. Unfortunately, it can sometimes generate dangers that, far from helping humanity, end up harming it.
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