Genetic Engineering

Genetic engineering, also known as recombinant DNA technology, involves a collection of techniques for cutting and merging genetic material, in particular DNA from various biological organisms, and inserting the resulting hybrid DNA into an organism to create new combinations of heritable genetic material. Genetic engineering refers to direct manipulation of DNA to alter the characteristics of an organism (phenotype) in a particular way. Genetic engineering, sometimes referred to as genetic modification, is the process of altering the DNA in the genome of an organism. This could mean one base pair changing? (A-T or C-G), remove an entire DNA region, or insert an additional copy of a gene. It may also mean extracting DNA from the genome of another organism, and combining it with that individual's DNA. Scientists use genetic manipulation to improve or alter an individual organism 's characteristics. Genetic engineering can be applied to any organism to any organism, from a virus to a sheep.