Answer to Question 1The earliest biotechnology was used to make cheese and wine. Grape juice and milk
spoiled very rapidly. Through the use of certain types of bacteria, milk could be fermented to form cheese, and the grape juice could be fermented to form wine. The use
of these bacterial agents transformed highly perishable foods into foods that could be
kept for a long period of time. Ancient biotechnology was not limited to food
preservation. Arabs also used artificial insemination.
Answer to Question 2One day scientists may be able to genetically alter the bacteria in a ruminant's stomach
to make the animal able to digest wood fiber. Another possibility may be to develop
plants like corn that produce their own nitrogen. Crops may also be altered to produce
more oil or oil of a better crop.