Genetic Engineering Flashcards

All 3 cards in this deck

What is genetic engineering?

Modifying the genome of an organism by inserting a gene, to introduce a desirable characteristic.

What is a vector in genetic engineering?

Something that carries the desired gene into the host cell, usually a plasmid (or a virus).

Give one difference between genetic engineering and selective breeding as ways of producing a desired characteristic.

Genetic engineering inserts a chosen gene directly and works in one generation; selective breeding takes many generations and uses only genes already in that species.