Which technology is known as a revolutionary gene-editing tool?

Prepare for the AEST Agricultural Biotechnology Specialist Certification Exam. Enhance your knowledge with flashcards and multiple-choice questions, complete with hints and explanations. Get equipped and ready for success!

CRISPR technology is recognized as a revolutionary gene-editing tool due to its precision, efficiency, and versatility in editing the genomes of various organisms. This system, which stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, utilizes a guide RNA and the Cas9 enzyme to make targeted changes in DNA sequences. The ability to precisely cut DNA at specified locations allows researchers to add, delete, or modify genes with high accuracy, leading to significant advancements in fields such as agriculture, medicine, and biotechnology.

The impact of CRISPR technology on agricultural biotechnology is particularly noteworthy, as it enables the development of crops with desirable traits such as disease resistance, improved yield, and enhanced nutritional content. The simplicity of the CRISPR process—compared to earlier gene-editing technologies—has democratized access to gene editing, allowing a wider range of researchers and institutions to contribute to innovations in this area.

In contrast, gene cloning and transgenic modification involve different methodologies, focusing more on duplicating existing genes or incorporating foreign genes without the same level of precision as CRISPR. Genomic selection also differs fundamentally, being a breeding method that uses genome-wide markers to predict and select desirable traits rather than directly editing the genetic material

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