ABSTRACT
Although biotechnology has been used for centuries, only recently has it been applied to more complex molecular structures such as in the genetic manipulation of both plant and animal cells. The word may take on somewhat different interpretations, but in a classic sense biotechnology refers to any technique that uses living organisms (or components of these organisms) to modify or create, to improve plants or animals, or to develop microorganisms for specific uses. Biotechnology has been used for centuries in making wine, cheese, yogurt, and bread and in the selective cross-breeding of both animals and plants to enhance specific desirable traits. It is believed that the term biotechnology was first coined by a Hungarian, Karl Ereky, toward the end of World War I. Ereky reportedly used the term to refer to intensive agricultural methods.
