WHAT
IS GENETIC MODIFICATION?
A European directive describes genetically modified organisms as
"all organisms, excluding human beings, of which the genetic
material has been modified in such a way that these do not occur
in nature through cell division or recombination."
The technology is called genetic modification or manipulation, or
also gene technology, recombinant DNA technique, genetic transformation
or modern biotechnology.
In everyday language, genetic modification therefore means the intentional
modification of the genetic characteristics of a microorganism,
a plant, or an animal with the intention of giving the host organism
a well-defined characteristic that was not present in the original
organism. |
