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Home >>Biotechnology Dictionary >>Biodegradation - Biotoxin
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Biodegradation - the breakdown by living organisms of a compound to its chemical constituents. Materials that can be easily biodegraded are colloquially termed biodegradable
Biogas - a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide resulting from the anaerobic decomposition of waste such as domestic, industrial and agricultural sewage. A.k.a. gobar
Bio-informatics - the use and organization of information of biological interest. In particular, it is concerned with organizing biomolecular databases, in getting useful information out of such databases, in utilising powerful computers for analyzing such information, and in integrating information from disparate biological sources
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Biodiversity - l. the variety of species (species diversity) or other taxa of animals, micro-organisms and plants in a natural community or habitat, or of communities in a particular environment (ecological diversity), or of genetic variation in a species (genetic diversity, q.v.). The maintenance of a high level of biodiversity is important for the stability of ecosystems.
2. the variety of life in all its forms, levels and combinations, encompassing genetic diversity, species diversity and ecosystem diversity. if agrobiodiversity
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Bio energetics - the study of the flow and the transformations of energy that occur in living organisms.
Bio engineering - the use of artificial tissues, organs and organ components to replace parts of the body that are damaged, lost or malfunctioning
Biolistics - a technique to insert DNA into cells. The DNA is mixed with small metal particles usually tungsten or gold-a fraction of a micrometre across. These are then fired into a cell at very high speed. They puncture the cell and carry the DNA into the cell. Biolistics has an advantage over transfection, transduction, etc., because it can apply to any cell, or indeed to parts of a cell. Thus use of biolistics has inserted DNA into animal, plant and fungal cells, and into mitochondria inside cells. a.k.a. microprojectile bombardment.
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Bio enrichment - adding nutrients or oxygen to increase microbial breakdown of pollutants
Bio ethics - the branch of ethics that deals with the life sciences and their potential impact on society. At one extreme, it can be enormously useful in focusing attention on problems that need to be confronted; at the other extreme, it can become a name calling argument between the pro biotechnology and anti biotechnology schools of thought, which, as it reduces discussion to epithets and cliches, can make better sound bites
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Biofuel - a gaseous, liquid or solid fuel that contains energy derived from a biological source. For example, rapeseed oil or fish liver oil can be used in place of diesel fuel in modified engines. A commercial application is the use of modified rapeseed oil, which - as rapeseed methyl ester (RME) - can be used modified diesel engines, and is sometimes named bio-dieses. cf biogas
Biomass - 1. the cell mass produced by a population of living organisms
2. the organic mass that can be used either as a source of energy or for its chemical components
3. all the organic matter that derives from the photosynthetic conversion of solar energy
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Biogenesis - the principle that a living organism can only arise from other living organisms similar to itself and can never originate from non-living material
Biomass concentration - the amount of biological material in a specific volume
Biome - a major ecological community or complex of communities, extending over a large geographical area and characterised by a dominant type of vegetation
Biometry - the application of statistical methods to the analysis of biological problems
Biopesticide - a compound that kills organisms by virtue of specific biological effects rather than as a broader chemical poison. Specific types include bio insecticides and bio fungicides. Bio-pesticides differ from biocontrol agents in that biopesticides are passive agents, whereas biocontrol agents are active, seeking out the pest to be destroyed
There are some extremely attractive anti pest materials, such as Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxin, which specifically interferes With the absorption of food from the guts of some insects but is harmless to mammals. The rationale behind developing bio pesticides is that they are more likely to be biodegradable and are targeted at specific elements of the pest's metabolism
Biopolymer - any large polymeric molecule (protein, nucleic acid,: polysaccharide, lipid) produced by a living organism
Bioprocess - any process that uses complete living cells or their components (e.g., enzymes, chloroplasts) to effect desired physical or chemical changes
Bioreactor - a tank in which cells, cell extracts or enzymes carry out a biological reaction. Often refers to a growth chamber (fermenter, fermentation vessel) for cells or micro-organisms
Bioremediation - a process that uses living organisms to remove contaminants, pollutants or unwanted substances from soil or water. cf bio augmentation; bio enrichment
Biosensor - a device that uses an immobilised agent (such as an : enzyme, antibiotic, organelle or whole cell) to detect or measure a chemical compound. A reaction between the immobilised agent and the molecule being analysed is transduced into an electric signal
Biosynthesis - synthesis of compounds by living cells, which is the essential feature of anabolism
Biotechnology - 1. the use of biological processes or organisms for the production of materials and services of benefit to humankind. Biotechnology includes the use of techniques for the improvement of the characteristics of economically important plants and animals and for the development of micro-organisms to act on the environment
2. the scientific manipulation of living organisms, especially at the molecular genetic level, to produce new products, such as hormones, vaccines or monoclonal antibodies
Biotic factor - other living organisms that are a factor of an organism's environment, and form the biotic environment, affecting the organism in many ways
Biotic stress - stress resulting from living organisms which can harm plants, such as viruses, fungi, bacteria, parasitic weeds and, harmful insects. cf abiotic stress
Biotin - a vitamin of the B complex. It is a co-enzyme for various enzymes that catalyse the incorporation of carbon dioxide into various compounds. It is essential for the metabolism of fats. Biotin is attached to pyruvate carboxylase by a long, flexible: chain like that of lipoamide in the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex. Adequate amounts are normally produced by the intestinal bacteria in animals
Biotin labelling - 1. the attachment of biotin to another molecule
2. the incorporation of a biotin containing nucleotide into a DNA molecule
Biotinylated-DNA - a DNA molecule labelled with biotin by incorporation of biotinylated dUTP into a DNA molecule. It is used as a non radioactive probe in hybridisation experiments, such as Southern transfer. The detection of the labelled DNA is achieved by complexing it with streptavidin (an antibiotic with a high affinity for biotin) to which is attached a colour generating agent such as horseradish peroxidase that gives a fluorescent green colour upon reaction with various organic reagents
Biotope - a small habitat in a large community
Biotoxin - a naturally produced toxic compound which shows pronounced biological activity and presumably has some adaptive significance to the organism which produces it
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