Technology that has furthered the field of Biology?

Question

List some technologies that have furthered the field of Biology and what life would have be like if they hadn't been developed.

Answer 1

Microscope- allowed the development of cell theory. Without it we would have no knowledge of cells, microbiology, tissue structure. Likely the technological advancement that has had the most impact and led to modern biology as we know it.

Micro Processors- computers have allowed the collection, storage, manipulation and retrieval of vast amounts of data. Without modern computers genome sequencing would be pointless (and much more difficult if not impossible). Bio-informatics is the fastest growing topic in biology today, and this growth is based entirely on computer technology.

Recombinant DNA Technology- The precise manipulation of DNA sequences has not only allowed the advancement of research, but has had direct impact on medicine and industry. Without it insulin would still be produced from animal sources, the industrial production of enzymes would be impossible, and genetic research would take far longer and many avenues of research (such as targeted gene knock-outs) would not be possible.

Answer 2

Technology has come a long way within the past few years. Gosh, there are quite a few ways technology has furthered the field of Biology.  An example I guess would be lab equipment, such as a digital microscope, which opened up many new doors to the micro world.

Biologists use all sorts of technology to perform their research...think of some of these types of technologies like the microscope.

We might not be so knowledgable in the micro world if we didn't have advanced microscopes, thus we might not have cures for some diseases, and we would be left in the dark about micro-organisms.