Biotechnology - the Alien World Inside

To understand biotechnology, it's best to start by understanding the "bio" part before moving on to the "technology".  

Building Blocks

As diverse as life on earth is, ranging from tiny bacteria to blue whales and aspen clonal colonies, there are simple organizational rules that tie everything together. Life is made up of building blocks that are shared by everything from ancient dinosaurs to paleontologists.

Don't Freak Out

We'll discuss what those building blocks are, so that the "technology" later on will make sense. If you're thinking "I hated third period biology precisely because I didn't get all that biochemistry mumbo jumbo!" don't bail on me now. 

Don't forget, I'm writing as a bioinformatician, not a biochemist. I'll explain it like I know it, and I know the cartoon version. You don't need to know the 40,000 character IUPAC names of every cellular component to understand and appreciate biotechnology. Later on, if you find yourself lost in the jargon, follow links to earlier posts and use them as a reference. If you're thinking "just get on with it", here we go...

  The Central Dogma

All living organisms on earth  (we'll talk about viruses later) are made up of these simple pieces:

• DNA (the information that dictates cellular organization)
• RNA (temporary copies of information)
• Proteins (the workhorses of the cell)
• Membranes (compartmentalization).

These four ingredients are organized into cells, and cells are life. Period.

The Alien World Inside You

I'm going to describe the four ingredients of life in the cartoon version. As we're going through, just keep in mind how foreign the inside of a cell is. The cartoon version helps us understand, but even the most experienced scientists would feel lost if they were to shrink themselves and visit. It would be like entering an alien world. The following video gives a taste of the weirdness. And remember, it's all made of just four ingredients.