What is Genetic Engineering?
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What is Genetic Engineering? Genetic engineering is an umbrella term which can cover a wide range of ways of changing the genetic material - the DNA code - in a living organism. This code contains all the information, stored in a long chain chemical molecule, which determines the nature of the organism - whether it is an amoeba, a pine tree, a robin, an octopus, a cow or a human being - and which characterises the particular individual. Apart from identical twins, your detailed genetic make-up is unique to you. Individual genes are particular sections of this chain, spaced out along it, which determine the characteristics and functions of our body. Defects of individual genes can cause a malfunction in the metabolism of the body, and are the roots of many "genetic" diseases. Genetic mapping Our understanding of our genetic makeup is being greatly expanded by a systemmatic mapping process known as...

