The direct manipulation of genes for practical purposes is called?

• A. Gene therapy
• B. Genetic engineering
• C. Cloning
• D. Recombinant DNA technology

Answer: (B)

Genetic engineering is the practice of directly altering an organism’s genetic material to achieve practical outcomes, such as introducing new traits or producing useful products. It covers modifying DNA, inserting or deleting genes, and rearranging sequences to create desired characteristics, like pest-resistant crops or microbes that produce medically useful substances.

Gene therapy is a specific medical application that aims to treat or cure diseases in people by changing their genes, so it’s narrower in scope than the broad field of genetic engineering.

Cloning focuses on producing copies of an organism or its genes, which is about replication rather than creating new traits through gene modification.

Recombinant DNA technology refers to the techniques used to join DNA from different sources, a toolkit used within genetic engineering rather than the overall concept itself.