Biotechnology has revolutionised the field of science and technology. It has provided us with solutions to our problems which would not have been possible otherwise. It has proved to be useful in the field of agriculture, medicine, clean energy and industrial products. Its many potentials are still being exploited. However, despite the various merits of biotechnology, there are certain demerits also associated with it.
Merits of biotechnology:
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it has helped in the field of agriculture to increase the food production substantially, also helped for the development of stress resistant varieties for example drought resistant, temperature resistant plants etc.
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It has been useful in the medical field in the diagnosis and treatment of various kind of diseases.
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Sophisticated vaccines have stopped the spread of epidemics.
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It is being widely used in the food industry for preserving and producing different kinds of food products on a larger scale.
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It’s helped for solving environmental problems & waste management partially. For examples, microorganisms are being used to solve the menace of plastics.
Demerits of biotechnology :
Although biotechnology has found a widespread applications in various field, it has its own potential risks. Some of its demerits are:
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The genetic changes are breaking the law of nature, some of the biotechnological procedures are against nature and natural laws as they involve other living organisms and disturbing their genetic makeup.
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New varieties of crops produced by biotechnology, have some disadvantages like seed sterility.
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It may also lead to the development of antibiotic resistant bacteria
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Human cloning is also debatable issue, it will cause disturbance in natural balance.
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Thus according to some views, biotechnology can be dangerous too.
