What should the average person know about science? Because science is so central to life in the 21st century, science educators and other leaders of the scientific community believe that it is essential that everyone understand the basic concepts of the most vital and far-reaching disciplines. does exactly that. This accessible volume provides readers - whether students new to the field or just interested members of the lay public - with the essential ideas of biotechnology using a minimum of jargon and mathematics. Concepts are introduced in a progressive order so that more complicated ideas build on simpler ones, and each is discussed in small, bite-sized segments so that they can be more easily understood. This short volume will enable students and lay people to understand the basics of one of the most important scientific fields of endeavor for the future.