In this deck, we'll explore genetic modification. This is a powerful technique where scientists can directly alter an organism's DNA. It's important not to confuse this with selective breeding, where humans choose organisms with desired traits to breed over many generations. Genetic modification involves changing the genes themselves.

Genetic modification has many applications. For example, a human gene can be inserted into bacteria. These bacteria can then act like tiny factories, producing large quantities of a human protein, such as insulin for treating diabetes.

Genetic modification is also widely used in agriculture. Genes can be inserted into crop plants to give them useful new traits. These include making them resistant to herbicides, resistant to insect pests, or improving their nutritional quality.