Genetic engineering, or recombinant DNA technology, uses techniques of molecular biology to alter the genome of an organism. Typically, the alteration is the insertion of exogenous genetic material (deoxyribonucleic acid or, DNA) into the genome of the recipient organism.

Modern genetic engineering techniques speed up the natural processes of genetic alteration, which is the underpinning of evolution. Man has exploited genetic alteration for millennia, in bread making and the brewing of beer, and for hundreds of years in the selective breeding of animals or plants to enhance the development of desired characteristics. Selective breeding is a slow process, requiring generations for desired changes to spread through a population to reach numbers of economic significance.

The discovery of genetic material and the technical means to manipulate this material opened up a new era of genetic technology. The application of these techniques has sped up the...