## Module 2 Introduction to Genetic Engineering

Bacterial colonies transformed with GFP glow green under UV light.

In Module 1, you learned that modern biotechnology differs from ancient biotechnology in that purposeful engineering is involved. Engineering a system implies that there is a deep understanding of the properties of a system that allows you to design an outcome. Our capacity to "engineer" biology has steadily improved in the decades since the 1970s when the first engineered DNA molecules appeared. This video provides a quick introduction to genetic engineering.

In this module, you will genetically engineer bacteria so that they “glow” when exposed to UV or black light. In addition, you will learn about more sophisticated techniques that allow scientists to alter the genes of a variety of organisms - including humans - in precise ways, and a tool that could allow us to genetically engineer an entire species, rather than just individual organisms.

### Objectives

In this module, you will

- Induce E. coli to make Green Fluorescent Protein.
- Explain how genetic engineering has impacted your life and the lives of people around the world.