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The Facts
What is Genetic Engineering?
Every living thing, plant, animal or microbe, is made up of tiny cells, in the centre of which is the nucleus, that controls the size, shape and functions in each cell. Inside the nucleus are genes, tiny chemical structures that store instructions for each cell. Genes are made of DNA: the pattern and operating system for all living things.
In traditional plant and animal breeding male and female mate, the offspring containing half of each parent's genes. So, generation by generation, the offspring can be made to express characteristics like insect or chemical resistance. But only individuals of similar, related species can be successfully mated.
Genetic engineering (GE) bypasses this process. Genes can be transferred from one organism to another. The genes can be of related or unrelated organisms. So now we can move genes between a germ and a plant, and a scorpion and a tree. This was never naturally possible before.
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