NCERT Textbook: Recent Innovations in Biotechnology | Biotechnology for Class 12 - NEET PDF Download

 Page 1


UNIT V
Recent Innovations in 
Biotechnology and 
Entrepreneurship 
Chapter 12: Recent Innovations in Biotechnology
Chapter 13: Entrepreneurship
Chapter 12_Recent Innovations in Biotechnology__230321.indd   289 23-01-2025   11:28:39
Reprint 2025-26
Page 2


UNIT V
Recent Innovations in 
Biotechnology and 
Entrepreneurship 
Chapter 12: Recent Innovations in Biotechnology
Chapter 13: Entrepreneurship
Chapter 12_Recent Innovations in Biotechnology__230321.indd   289 23-01-2025   11:28:39
Reprint 2025-26
Sir John Bertrand Gurdon (born on 2 October 1933) is an 
English Developmental Biologist. He is best known for his 
pioneering research in nuclear transplantation and cloning. 
In 1956, he joined a Ph.D. programme with Embryologist 
Michael Fischberg and started to work on nucleus transfer 
from differentiated cells to eggs cells. Later, he successfully 
replaced a nucleus of fertilised egg cell of frog with a nucleus 
of mature cell from the intestine of tadpole. This egg cell with 
the nucleus from intestinal cell grew successfully into a new 
frog. This experiment proved that mature cell also carries 
the required genetic information required to differentiate into 
every cell type. Gurdon’s work laid down the foundation for 
cloning, which later resulted in the ??rst successful cloning 
of mammal “Dolly”. In 2012, Gurdon was awarded the 
Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine, jointly with Shinya 
Yamanaka, who discovered the induced pluripotent stem 
cells. His Nobel Lecture was called “The Egg and the Nucleus: 
A Battle for Supremacy”.
John Bertrand Gurdon 
(2nd October 1933–Present )
Chapter 12_Recent Innovations in Biotechnology__230321.indd   290 23-01-2025   11:28:40
Reprint 2025-26
Page 3


UNIT V
Recent Innovations in 
Biotechnology and 
Entrepreneurship 
Chapter 12: Recent Innovations in Biotechnology
Chapter 13: Entrepreneurship
Chapter 12_Recent Innovations in Biotechnology__230321.indd   289 23-01-2025   11:28:39
Reprint 2025-26
Sir John Bertrand Gurdon (born on 2 October 1933) is an 
English Developmental Biologist. He is best known for his 
pioneering research in nuclear transplantation and cloning. 
In 1956, he joined a Ph.D. programme with Embryologist 
Michael Fischberg and started to work on nucleus transfer 
from differentiated cells to eggs cells. Later, he successfully 
replaced a nucleus of fertilised egg cell of frog with a nucleus 
of mature cell from the intestine of tadpole. This egg cell with 
the nucleus from intestinal cell grew successfully into a new 
frog. This experiment proved that mature cell also carries 
the required genetic information required to differentiate into 
every cell type. Gurdon’s work laid down the foundation for 
cloning, which later resulted in the ??rst successful cloning 
of mammal “Dolly”. In 2012, Gurdon was awarded the 
Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine, jointly with Shinya 
Yamanaka, who discovered the induced pluripotent stem 
cells. His Nobel Lecture was called “The Egg and the Nucleus: 
A Battle for Supremacy”.
John Bertrand Gurdon 
(2nd October 1933–Present )
Chapter 12_Recent Innovations in Biotechnology__230321.indd   290 23-01-2025   11:28:40
Reprint 2025-26
Biotechnological innovations have grown steadily over 
the past 10 years or so, and have bene??ted the human 
lives in agriculture, medical science, environment and 
energy. These technological innovations include GM 
crops, diagnostics, bacteria that can eat oil, growing 
human organs in labs for transplants, and advances in 
biofuel, that can help reduce our nation’s carbon footprint. 
Innovations could help improve cost effectiveness and 
resource ef??ciency of biogas energy technology in a 
sustainable manner. We now even have plants and meat 
grown in labs that can be genetically regulated to taste 
and look in a particular way re??ecting on the importance 
of synthetic biology.
12.1 Environm Ental Biot Echnology Ever since the industrial revolution started in the 1750s, 
the number of industries in different sectors increased 
exponentially. With this, came the unprecedented 
degradation of the environment, polluting the air, water 
and soil with various pollutants such as heavy metals, 
pesticides, dyes, carbon dioxide and other greenhouse and 
poisonous gases, micro-pollutants, etc. 
12.1 Environmental 
Biotechnology
12.2 Plant 
Biotechnology
12.3 Regenerative 
Medicine
12.4 Nanobiotechnology
12.5 Synthetic Biology
12.6 Future Prospects
Recent Innovations in 
Biotechnology
12
Chapter 
Chapter 12_Recent Innovations in Biotechnology__230321.indd   291 23-01-2025   11:28:40
Reprint 2025-26
Page 4


UNIT V
Recent Innovations in 
Biotechnology and 
Entrepreneurship 
Chapter 12: Recent Innovations in Biotechnology
Chapter 13: Entrepreneurship
Chapter 12_Recent Innovations in Biotechnology__230321.indd   289 23-01-2025   11:28:39
Reprint 2025-26
Sir John Bertrand Gurdon (born on 2 October 1933) is an 
English Developmental Biologist. He is best known for his 
pioneering research in nuclear transplantation and cloning. 
In 1956, he joined a Ph.D. programme with Embryologist 
Michael Fischberg and started to work on nucleus transfer 
from differentiated cells to eggs cells. Later, he successfully 
replaced a nucleus of fertilised egg cell of frog with a nucleus 
of mature cell from the intestine of tadpole. This egg cell with 
the nucleus from intestinal cell grew successfully into a new 
frog. This experiment proved that mature cell also carries 
the required genetic information required to differentiate into 
every cell type. Gurdon’s work laid down the foundation for 
cloning, which later resulted in the ??rst successful cloning 
of mammal “Dolly”. In 2012, Gurdon was awarded the 
Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine, jointly with Shinya 
Yamanaka, who discovered the induced pluripotent stem 
cells. His Nobel Lecture was called “The Egg and the Nucleus: 
A Battle for Supremacy”.
John Bertrand Gurdon 
(2nd October 1933–Present )
Chapter 12_Recent Innovations in Biotechnology__230321.indd   290 23-01-2025   11:28:40
Reprint 2025-26
Biotechnological innovations have grown steadily over 
the past 10 years or so, and have bene??ted the human 
lives in agriculture, medical science, environment and 
energy. These technological innovations include GM 
crops, diagnostics, bacteria that can eat oil, growing 
human organs in labs for transplants, and advances in 
biofuel, that can help reduce our nation’s carbon footprint. 
Innovations could help improve cost effectiveness and 
resource ef??ciency of biogas energy technology in a 
sustainable manner. We now even have plants and meat 
grown in labs that can be genetically regulated to taste 
and look in a particular way re??ecting on the importance 
of synthetic biology.
12.1 Environm Ental Biot Echnology Ever since the industrial revolution started in the 1750s, 
the number of industries in different sectors increased 
exponentially. With this, came the unprecedented 
degradation of the environment, polluting the air, water 
and soil with various pollutants such as heavy metals, 
pesticides, dyes, carbon dioxide and other greenhouse and 
poisonous gases, micro-pollutants, etc. 
12.1 Environmental 
Biotechnology
12.2 Plant 
Biotechnology
12.3 Regenerative 
Medicine
12.4 Nanobiotechnology
12.5 Synthetic Biology
12.6 Future Prospects
Recent Innovations in 
Biotechnology
12
Chapter 
Chapter 12_Recent Innovations in Biotechnology__230321.indd   291 23-01-2025   11:28:40
Reprint 2025-26
Biotechnology XII 292
In addition to the issue of environmental degradation, 
it has also become inevitable to ??nd alternatives for 
non-renewable fossil fuels or ??nding more ef??cient ways 
of extracting and using fossil fuels. Biotechnology offers 
viable options, primarily because it is environment-friendly 
and uses natural systems. In environmental biotechnology, 
different forms of biological systems, whether naturally 
occurring or genetically engineered, are used.
The basic concepts and approaches in the ??eld of 
environmental biotechnology are bioremediation (that 
includes a wide array of applications such as waste 
treatment, degradation, vermi-technology, etc.), prevention 
of environmental problems, detection and monitoring of 
contaminants and genetic engineering. You have learned 
about bioremediation in Chapter 11 of Unit IV. In this 
section, the focus will be on the second aspect, i.e., 
prevention, and will primarily deal with the production of 
biofuels and avenues in the ??eld of biodegradation and 
manufacture of biodegradable products.
12.1.1 Biofuel
Biofuels are the fuels produced from biological products, 
which could be living organisms or from waste generated 
from biological products, such as from land??lls, recycled 
vegetable oil, etc. In many places speci??c crops, such as 
soybeans, jatropha, pongamia, palm oil, algae, etc., are 
grown for the production of fuel. Fuels produced from such 
crops are known as biofuel or agrofuels. On the basis of 
their characteristics, biofuels can be broadly divided into 
biodiesel, bioalcohol, biogas and biomass in different 
forms.
Biodiesel
Biodiesel is made from raw materials such as animal 
fats, vegetable oils, waste cooking oil, soybean, rapeseed, 
jatropha, mustard, ??ax, sun??ower, palm oil, canola, 
hemp, ??eld pennycress, Pongamia pinnata, algae, etc., by 
the process called trans-esteri??cation. Although in many 
European countries, a 5 per cent biodiesel blend is widely 
used, it can be used in its pure form without blending 
it with fossil diesel. The advantage of biodiesel is that it 
Chapter 12_Recent Innovations in Biotechnology__230321.indd   292 23-01-2025   11:28:40
Reprint 2025-26
Page 5


UNIT V
Recent Innovations in 
Biotechnology and 
Entrepreneurship 
Chapter 12: Recent Innovations in Biotechnology
Chapter 13: Entrepreneurship
Chapter 12_Recent Innovations in Biotechnology__230321.indd   289 23-01-2025   11:28:39
Reprint 2025-26
Sir John Bertrand Gurdon (born on 2 October 1933) is an 
English Developmental Biologist. He is best known for his 
pioneering research in nuclear transplantation and cloning. 
In 1956, he joined a Ph.D. programme with Embryologist 
Michael Fischberg and started to work on nucleus transfer 
from differentiated cells to eggs cells. Later, he successfully 
replaced a nucleus of fertilised egg cell of frog with a nucleus 
of mature cell from the intestine of tadpole. This egg cell with 
the nucleus from intestinal cell grew successfully into a new 
frog. This experiment proved that mature cell also carries 
the required genetic information required to differentiate into 
every cell type. Gurdon’s work laid down the foundation for 
cloning, which later resulted in the ??rst successful cloning 
of mammal “Dolly”. In 2012, Gurdon was awarded the 
Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine, jointly with Shinya 
Yamanaka, who discovered the induced pluripotent stem 
cells. His Nobel Lecture was called “The Egg and the Nucleus: 
A Battle for Supremacy”.
John Bertrand Gurdon 
(2nd October 1933–Present )
Chapter 12_Recent Innovations in Biotechnology__230321.indd   290 23-01-2025   11:28:40
Reprint 2025-26
Biotechnological innovations have grown steadily over 
the past 10 years or so, and have bene??ted the human 
lives in agriculture, medical science, environment and 
energy. These technological innovations include GM 
crops, diagnostics, bacteria that can eat oil, growing 
human organs in labs for transplants, and advances in 
biofuel, that can help reduce our nation’s carbon footprint. 
Innovations could help improve cost effectiveness and 
resource ef??ciency of biogas energy technology in a 
sustainable manner. We now even have plants and meat 
grown in labs that can be genetically regulated to taste 
and look in a particular way re??ecting on the importance 
of synthetic biology.
12.1 Environm Ental Biot Echnology Ever since the industrial revolution started in the 1750s, 
the number of industries in different sectors increased 
exponentially. With this, came the unprecedented 
degradation of the environment, polluting the air, water 
and soil with various pollutants such as heavy metals, 
pesticides, dyes, carbon dioxide and other greenhouse and 
poisonous gases, micro-pollutants, etc. 
12.1 Environmental 
Biotechnology
12.2 Plant 
Biotechnology
12.3 Regenerative 
Medicine
12.4 Nanobiotechnology
12.5 Synthetic Biology
12.6 Future Prospects
Recent Innovations in 
Biotechnology
12
Chapter 
Chapter 12_Recent Innovations in Biotechnology__230321.indd   291 23-01-2025   11:28:40
Reprint 2025-26
Biotechnology XII 292
In addition to the issue of environmental degradation, 
it has also become inevitable to ??nd alternatives for 
non-renewable fossil fuels or ??nding more ef??cient ways 
of extracting and using fossil fuels. Biotechnology offers 
viable options, primarily because it is environment-friendly 
and uses natural systems. In environmental biotechnology, 
different forms of biological systems, whether naturally 
occurring or genetically engineered, are used.
The basic concepts and approaches in the ??eld of 
environmental biotechnology are bioremediation (that 
includes a wide array of applications such as waste 
treatment, degradation, vermi-technology, etc.), prevention 
of environmental problems, detection and monitoring of 
contaminants and genetic engineering. You have learned 
about bioremediation in Chapter 11 of Unit IV. In this 
section, the focus will be on the second aspect, i.e., 
prevention, and will primarily deal with the production of 
biofuels and avenues in the ??eld of biodegradation and 
manufacture of biodegradable products.
12.1.1 Biofuel
Biofuels are the fuels produced from biological products, 
which could be living organisms or from waste generated 
from biological products, such as from land??lls, recycled 
vegetable oil, etc. In many places speci??c crops, such as 
soybeans, jatropha, pongamia, palm oil, algae, etc., are 
grown for the production of fuel. Fuels produced from such 
crops are known as biofuel or agrofuels. On the basis of 
their characteristics, biofuels can be broadly divided into 
biodiesel, bioalcohol, biogas and biomass in different 
forms.
Biodiesel
Biodiesel is made from raw materials such as animal 
fats, vegetable oils, waste cooking oil, soybean, rapeseed, 
jatropha, mustard, ??ax, sun??ower, palm oil, canola, 
hemp, ??eld pennycress, Pongamia pinnata, algae, etc., by 
the process called trans-esteri??cation. Although in many 
European countries, a 5 per cent biodiesel blend is widely 
used, it can be used in its pure form without blending 
it with fossil diesel. The advantage of biodiesel is that it 
Chapter 12_Recent Innovations in Biotechnology__230321.indd   292 23-01-2025   11:28:40
Reprint 2025-26
Recent Innovations in Biotech...
293
contains higher hydrogen and oxygen and less carbon when 
compared with fossil fuels. This improves the combustion 
of biodiesel and reduces the particulate emissions from 
unburnt carbon. Another advantage of biodiesel is that 
it can be directly used in regular diesel engines without 
making any changes or modi??cations to the engines.
Bioalcohol
Bioalcohols, such as bioethanol, are produced from wheat, 
corn, sugarcane, molasses, sugar beets, potato, fruit waste, 
etc., by the process of fermentation. The basic steps in the 
production of bioalcohol include treatments which release 
sugars from the stored starch or cellulose followed by 
fermentation of the sugars by microorganisms, distillation 
and drying.
Box 1: Ethanol Blending in Petrol
Ethanol is widely used across the continents. Although it can be blended in any percentage 
with petrol, the blending percentage varies and ranges from about 2% to almost 30%, 
depending upon the norms adopted by the country. In India, the government has permitted 
oil marketing companies to sell ethanol blended petrol with percentage of ethanol up to 10%. 
Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) speci??cation recommends to achieve 5% ethanol blending 
across the country as a whole. As more ethanol is blended, the lesser will be the consumption 
of fossil fuel. In addition, ethanol is renewable and also reduces carbon dioxide and other 
greenhouse gas emissions. However, the use of ethanol has practical problems, like reduced 
ef??ciency of the engine. It makes engines harder to start and causes sputtering and oxidation 
of aluminium in the carburettors. Further, it causes steel components of the engine to rust. 
In order to overcome this issue, automobile manufacturers have to make necessary changes 
in the engine.
As far as the source of biofuel is concerned, micro 
algae and macro algae are being explored for the purpose. 
Micro algae includes microscopic photosynthetic forms, 
and the macro algae are the large multicellular plant-
like organisms, commonly known as seaweeds. Different 
varieties of seaweeds have varied content of oil and sugar. 
The mass production of biofuels from algae is being 
explored because of several reasons, such as the ease with 
which it can be grown and harvested. It is renewable as 
it can be grown and harvested year after year, and it can 
produce both bioalcohol and biodiesel, it is non-edible and 
Chapter 12_Recent Innovations in Biotechnology__230321.indd   293 23-01-2025   11:28:40
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