An old saying states, "Necessity is the mother of all inventions." Over the centuries, our ancestors have been using breeding techniques based on phenotype characteristics to create animals and plants with desirable traits (high milk-producing cows) and benefits (high-yield crops). During this period, the best animals and plants have been bred together, and each successive generation has been more likely to carry the desirable traits of the parent animal or plant. A hundred years ago, an organism's DNA would have been scanned first to look for desirable traits, and then organisms with those traits would have been bred. Today this is no longer necessary since we can now genetically engineer animals.

Another form of biotechnology that has been around for thousands of years is the use of micro- organisms in food. Microorganisms are used to turn milk into cheese and yogurt and to ferment alcohol. Yeast is used in bread to make it rise. These are considered as biotechnology because they utilize microorganisms.

Biotechnology is as old as the ancient cultures of the Indians, Chinese, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Sumerians, and other ancient communities of the world. Some examples of ancient bio- technology are the use of microorganisms for fermentation, domesticating animals for livestock, alcohol in the form of wine and beer, herbal remedies, and plant balms for the treatment of wounds and ailments. The contribution of other scientific fields has greatly helped the development of bio- technology as it utilizes the sciences of biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, computers, and information technology to develop tools and products that hold great promise and hope for thou- sands of patients who are suffering from various incurable diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and Parkinson's disease.