1
What Is Marine Biotechnology?
Contents
1.1 Marine Biotechnology: Definition and Scope ..................................................................
1
1.2 Biotechnology, Past and Present.......................................................................................
2
1.3 Marine Bioindustry Today and Its Future Prospects........................................................
4
1.4 Marine Life Sciences: The Future Is in Sight ..................................................................
8
1.5 Developing Industries with New Marine Biotechnology Materials................................. 16
1.6 Chapter Summary and Conclusion ................................................................................... 20
References .................................................................................................................................. 20
1.1 Marine Biotechnology: Definition and Scope
We often see terms like “bio” and “biotech” in the newspapers and on TV today.
This is obviously an abbreviation for “biotechnology,” a compound of bio, meaning
“life” or “organism,” and “technology.”
Biotechnology does not necessarily have any set definition, but it is typically
understood to mean technology that harnesses or imitates organisms or their
functions to produce useful materials. As such, it encompasses techniques for
improving organisms themselves—such as animals, plants, and microbes—as well
as those for propagating those life forms. In simpler terms, it is technology that
allows organisms’ functions to be put to more effective use. Biotechnology is at
work in the microbe-using brewing methods used over the generations in Korea to
produce such foods as fermented soybeans, soy sauce, liquor, and vinegar. Recent
biotechnology is based on recent knowledge from the field of biology, which
underwent rapid development after World War II, as well as experimental technology in general and techniques for genetic manipulation—first used in the 1970s
—in particular.
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019
S.-K. Kim, Essentials of Marine Biotechnology,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20944-5_1
1
What Is Marine Biotechnology?
Contents
1.1 Marine Biotechnology: Definition and Scope ..................................................................
1
1.2 Biotechnology, Past and Present.......................................................................................
2
1.3 Marine Bioindustry Today and Its Future Prospects........................................................
4
1.4 Marine Life Sciences: The Future Is in Sight ..................................................................
8
1.5 Developing Industries with New Marine Biotechnology Materials................................. 16
1.6 Chapter Summary and Conclusion ................................................................................... 20
References .................................................................................................................................. 20
1.1 Marine Biotechnology: Definition and Scope
We often see terms like “bio” and “biotech” in the newspapers and on TV today.
This is obviously an abbreviation for “biotechnology,” a compound of bio, meaning
“life” or “organism,” and “technology.”
Biotechnology does not necessarily have any set definition, but it is typically
understood to mean technology that harnesses or imitates organisms or their
functions to produce useful materials. As such, it encompasses techniques for
improving organisms themselves—such as animals, plants, and microbes—as well
as those for propagating those life forms. In simpler terms, it is technology that
allows organisms’ functions to be put to more effective use. Biotechnology is at
work in the microbe-using brewing methods used over the generations in Korea to
produce such foods as fermented soybeans, soy sauce, liquor, and vinegar. Recent
biotechnology is based on recent knowledge from the field of biology, which
underwent rapid development after World War II, as well as experimental technology in general and techniques for genetic manipulation—first used in the 1970s
—in particular.
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019
S.-K. Kim, Essentials of Marine Biotechnology,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20944-5_1
1