Recombinant DNA technology is a technology which allows DNA to be produced via artificial means. The procedure has been used to change DNA in living organisms and may have even more practical uses in the future. It is an area of medical science that is just beginning to be researched in a concerted effort.

Recombinant DNA technology works by taking DNA from two different sources and combining that DNA into a single molecule. That alone, however, will not do much. Recombinant DNA technology only becomes useful when that artificially-created DNA is reproduced. This is known as DNA cloning.

There are two main types of cloning that recombinant DNA technology is used for: therapeutic cloning and reproductive cloning. Most are familiar with reproductive cloning, which will produce an organism with the exact genetic information of an already-existing organism. This has already been done with some animals. Dolly, a sheep, was the first mammal to ever be reproduced as an exact genetic copy. Therapeutic cloning is cloning that is used to reproduce certain tissues or organs, not an entire organism.

Using recombinant DNA technology for therapeutic cloning purposes holds a great deal of potential benefit. For example, a cancerous organ could be replaced with a new one made from a patient's own DNA. This would likely help reduce the rejection of organs that sometimes happens when a transplant takes place. If a heart is damaged, it could even be replicated using recombinant DNA technology. While these applications may be years away from practical use, they are possibilities.

In addition, there are a number of other uses for recombinant DNA technology. It may help make crops more resistant to heat and drought. It may even be used to create plans with genes that repel harmful insects. In such cases, it would be like the plant had a built-in insecticide or repellent, reducing the need for humans to handle harmful chemicals.

Currently, recombinant DNA technology has attracted headlines when it has been used on animals, both to create identical copies of the same animal or to create entirely new species. One of those new species is the GloFish™, a type of fish that seems to glow with a bright fluorescent coloring. While they have become a popular aquarium fish, they have other uses as well. Scientists hope to use them to help detect polluted waterways, for example.

Recombinant DNA technology is not accepted among some, especially social conservatives, who feel the technology is a slippery slope to devaluing the uniqueness of life. Further, because some DNA work involves the use and destruction of embryos, there is more controversy created. Still, proponents of the technology say the ultimate goal is to benefit human life, not destroy it.