Glossary of Biotechnology Terms - Kimball Nill
Preface
I began writing this book as a hobby, more than a decade ago, when it became obvious to me that
the various specialists working in the then-emerging field of biotechnology (e.g., geneticists,
chemists, molecular biologists, intellectual property attorneys, marketers, etc.) were occasionally
having difficulty simply understanding the terms utilized by colleagues in their respective fields.
Subsequently, a number of organizations with various motivations have raised some concerns
around the world about biotechnology. In my experience, the level of concern inevitably diminishes
when people understand the terms used to discuss a given topic. To this end, I have attempted to
write definitions in this book employing words that would enable the reader to conceptualize the
idea embodied in the term, without the necessity of holding advanced degrees in biochemistry or
molecular biology. In order to accomplish this, however, I had to make certain compromises between
scientific rigor and definitions based on analogy, with the inherent possibility of oversimplification.
Nonetheless, throughout the text, emphasis has been placed on explanation by analogy whenever
possible; I have found this method to be most effective for defining words, phrases, and terms to
diverse publics.
I offer this work in good faith, and in the hope that it will assist those individuals who seek to
gain some understanding of the terminology as it is currently used. However, the reader should be
aware that the field of biotechnology is rapidly expanding and evolving; new terms are entering
the nomenclature at a rapid pace. In fact, the meaning(s) of some of the newest terms will
undoubtedly be expanded or narrowed as the technology further develops.
Although I have endeavored to be as accurate as possible, this work is meant to provide
a general introduction rather than to be absolute and legally definitive.
Kimball R. Nill
Technical Issues Director
American Soybean Association
St. Louis, Missouri
Download
http://s18.alxa.net/s18/srvs2/02/003...mball.Nill.rar
Preface
I began writing this book as a hobby, more than a decade ago, when it became obvious to me that
the various specialists working in the then-emerging field of biotechnology (e.g., geneticists,
chemists, molecular biologists, intellectual property attorneys, marketers, etc.) were occasionally
having difficulty simply understanding the terms utilized by colleagues in their respective fields.
Subsequently, a number of organizations with various motivations have raised some concerns
around the world about biotechnology. In my experience, the level of concern inevitably diminishes
when people understand the terms used to discuss a given topic. To this end, I have attempted to
write definitions in this book employing words that would enable the reader to conceptualize the
idea embodied in the term, without the necessity of holding advanced degrees in biochemistry or
molecular biology. In order to accomplish this, however, I had to make certain compromises between
scientific rigor and definitions based on analogy, with the inherent possibility of oversimplification.
Nonetheless, throughout the text, emphasis has been placed on explanation by analogy whenever
possible; I have found this method to be most effective for defining words, phrases, and terms to
diverse publics.
I offer this work in good faith, and in the hope that it will assist those individuals who seek to
gain some understanding of the terminology as it is currently used. However, the reader should be
aware that the field of biotechnology is rapidly expanding and evolving; new terms are entering
the nomenclature at a rapid pace. In fact, the meaning(s) of some of the newest terms will
undoubtedly be expanded or narrowed as the technology further develops.
Although I have endeavored to be as accurate as possible, this work is meant to provide
a general introduction rather than to be absolute and legally definitive.
Kimball R. Nill
Technical Issues Director
American Soybean Association
St. Louis, Missouri
Download
http://s18.alxa.net/s18/srvs2/02/003...mball.Nill.rar