Chapter 2:

The Historical Development of Biotechnology

BIOTECHNOLOGY: AN AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTION

BY: RAY V. HERREN

MOST OF THIS CONTENT IS TAKEN FROM DELMAR CENGAGE LEARNING

 Biotechnology

According to Biotechnology in the Realm of History

Biotechnology
Derived from biology and technology
Technology which makes our life convenient and
comfortable with the employment of biological
resources
 Present

Biotechnology = a buzz word nowadays

As time goes by and the way our way of life is
heading it seems as if biotechnology has become an
essential component of our life
Became important in the last 2 decades
Touched our lives in many if not all aspects
 food, health and animal life
 Various stages of development

Developed on observations
Divided into 3 stages
 Ancient Biotechnology (Pre 1800)
 Classical Biotechnology

 Modern Biotechnology
Ancient Biotechnology

PRE 1800
 Pre 1800

Most developments can be describes as discoveries

or developments prior to 1800
Many were common observations about nature
Initial period of
 evolution of farming
 development of food preservation and storage
 clay jars etc.
Then moved to observations of
 cheese, vinegar, and yeast

Finally crossbreeding
 mule = male donkey and a female horse
 used for transportation, carrying loads and farming
 Beginnings of Biotechnology

Transitioned to permanent settlements and learned

to:
 Contain/maintain plants and animals
 Create more reliable food sources
Biotechnology began with this transition
approximately 7,000 to 12,000 years ago
 First Biotechnology Processes

Crop production genesis

 Selection and storage of best plants and seeds
Identified animals most adaptable to domestication
With animal taming came multiple uses for not only
its meat but also its parts
 E.g., sinews as strings for tying tools, hooves boiled to make
glue
 Start of Society

Produced enough food to be stationary

Had more time to create labor-saving tools
Needing fewer people to produce food
 Allowed some people to specialize
 Developed new technologies
 Gathered and recorded knowledge
 Produced specialty goods
Developed into villages and cities
 Start of Financial Systems

Society’s development paved the way to plant and

animal profitability by:
 Producing food to eat
 Gaining something of value others wanted
Excess food traded to accumulate items
Barter systems gave way to financial ones
Money was more portable than traded items
 History of Food Preservation

Travel necessitated food preservation

Cured animal stomachs used for storage
 Legend of milk stored in calf’s stomach

 Heat and sloshing caused coagulation

 Milk turned to cheese by journey’s end

Settlements prompted year-round preservation and

storage methods
Early method:
 Fruit-juice storage
 Basics of Bread Making

Began early in civilization

Found grass seeds good to eat
Ground wheat seed produced flour
Yeast gave volume and taste
New types of breads developed
Each new development involved biotechnology

This weeks lab!!! Bread making

 Start of the Science of Genetics

Planted seeds from crops that produced foods that:

 They desired most

 Yielded largest quantity and highest quality

Identified plants and animals with superior offspring

Bred those with superior traits to create hybrids
Much progress with new varieties in 1700s
 Discovery of Cells

Microscope invented in 1600s

 Earliest biotechnology milestone

Hooke examined thin slice of cork

Coined term “cells” because tiny spaces looked like
prison cells
Research began
 Many cell theories followed
Opened door to cell manipulation
Classical Biotechnology

1800 TO THE MIDDLE OF THE 20TH CENTURY

 Theory of Heredity

Mendel developed theory in mid-1800s

Explained how traits passed to offspring
Theory arose from his observations of garden peas
 Differences in appearances and texture from generation to
generation
Led to breeding research and other laws
 Advancements of Disease Prevention
and Treatment

19th century
 Discovered germs cause diseases

Louis Pasteur
 Learned to prevent disease in sheep by using survivor’s
blood for injections into healthy sheep
 Led to many new vaccines for animals and humans
 Discovery of Penicillin

Fleming studied bacteria in 1920s

Saw Penicillium inhibited bacteria growth
Extracts became first antibiotic penicillin
Many “miracle drugs” followed
 Saved millions of human lives

 Eradicated many animal diseases

 Artificial Insemination

Great boost to animal agriculture

In Middle Ages, Arabs first used to breed stallions
Used large scale in United States (U.S.) in 1930s
Freezing technique perfected in 1950s
 Allowed global semen shipping and storage

 Made superior sires more available

 Embryo Transfer

From one female to another

Became widespread in 1970s
Superior females could produce multiple offspring
Combined with artificial insemination, allowed rapid
production of superior animals
 In Vitro Process

Capability of cells’ genes long known

New organism made from one cell in 1950
Used in vitro process to grow plant from single cell
 In vitro means “in glass”

 Started plant not from seed but in petri dish with single cell
 Gene Transfer

Parents transfer genetic information to offspring

 Methods were mystery until 1950s

Watson and Crick published model of DNA

Key to gene transfer contained in double-helix shape
 Basics of DNA

Genetic material in cell’s nucleus

Alternating units of phosphoric acid and
deoxyribose
Form of double helix that contains number, order,
and type of nucleotides
Helix structure determines code transmitted from
one generation to the next
 Basics of Genetic Engineering

Genetics’ knowledge applied in 1980s

Genetic engineering
 Transfer genes to express traits

Microbes are natural “genetic engineers”

Gene splicing
 Transplant gene from one organism into another organism