What is recombination? Discuss the applications of recombination from the point of view of genetic engineering.

The term recombination was to describe the generation of non-parental gene combinations. Morgan found that even when the genes are on the same chromosomes, some genes were tightly linked (showed low recombination) while others were loosely linked (showed high recombination). For example he found that the genes white and yellow were tightly linked and showed only 1.3% recombination while white and miniature wing showed 37.2% recombination.

Alfred Sturtevant used the frequency of recombination between gene pairs on the same chromosome as a measure of distance between the genes and mapped their positions on the chromosome (that is the arrangement of genes on the chromosome based on the frequency of recombination).

Today genetic maps are extensively used as a starting point in sequencing of whole genomes as done in Human Genome Sequencing Project.