Highlight five areas where biotechnology has influenced our lives.

The five areas where biotechnology has influenced our lives are:

i) Therapeutics and Diagnostic tool: Biotechnological methods like PCR (i.e., Polymerase Chain Reaction) is widely used as a diagnostic tool for disease detection and methods like gene therapy are used for treating genetic diseases like adenosine deaminase deficiency and rDNA technology is used for the production of Insulin and Human Growth Hormone (HgH).

ii) Genetically modified plants and animals: The use of genetically modified organisms has produced more healthy and nutritional crop yields and transgenic animals are used to get more products like milk from cows, wool from sheep and alcohol from yeasts etc.

iii) Forensic and paternity tests: Biotechnological methods like DNA fingerprinting has helped in solving crime cases and determination of genetic parents.

iv) Wastewater treatment: Biotechnology has been widely used in the wastewater treatment plants, Micro-organisms are added with the wastewater which is digested by the bacteria and it helps in the degradation of organic waste.

v) Energy production: Biotechnology is used for the production of energy through micro-organisms and producing bio-fuel. cellulose enzyme technology is used to convert crop residues to ethanol.