#24.1
Recombinant DNA
Recombinant deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) technology allows the creation and manipulation of DNA sequences that come from different sources, even different species. The development of recombinant DNA technology in the 1970s was hailed as the most exciting invention since the development of transistors some twenty to thirty years earlier. The transistor changed people’s lives forever by creating the microelectronics revolution and enabling the development of portable radios, tape and compact disc players, cellular phones, and computers, all leading to fabulous wealth in the developed world. Recombinant DNA technology is likely to also have profound effects on society, including better health through improved disease diagnosis, much better understanding of human gene variation, improved drug and pharmaceutical production, vastly more sensitive and specific crime scene forensics, and production of genetically modified organisms that significantly improve yields and nutritional value of crops while decreasing reliance on pesticides and artificial fertilizers. Recombinant DNA and the transgenic technology that it spawned have already entered everyday lives to a degree, as evidenced by the completion of a draft of the human genome sequence, criminal trials relying on DNA evidence, and controversy over the use of genetically modified corn and other organisms.