Includes end-of-chapter study questions.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Basics of biotechnology -- DNA, RNA, and protein -- Recombinant DNA technology -- DNA synthesis in vivo and in vitro -- RNA-based technologies -- Immune technology -- Nanobiotechnology -- Genomics and gene expression -- Proteomics -- Recombinant proteins -- Protein engineering -- Environmental biotechnology -- Synthetic biology -- From cell phones to cyborgs -- Transgenic plants and plant biotechnology -- Transgenic animals -- Inherited defects and gene therapy -- Cloning and stem cells -- Cancer -- Aging and apoptosis -- Viral and prion infections -- Biological warfare : infectious disease and bioterrorism -- Forensic molecular biology -- Bioethics in biotechnology.