In 1975, the Asilomar Conference on Recombinant DNA was organized by Paul Berg, a pioneer of recombinant DNA technology, at a conference center at Asilomar State Beach in California. Physicians, scientists, lawyers, ethicists, and others gathered to draft guidelines for safe applications of recombinant DNA technology. These general guidelines were adopted by the federal government and are still in practice today. Consider the implications of recombinant DNA as a new technology. What concerns might the scientific community have had then about recombinant DNA technology? Might those same concerns exist today?

What are the advantages of using a restriction enzyme whose recognition site is relatively rare? When would you use such enzymes?

Outline the roles played by restriction enzymes and vectors in cloning DNA.

Injection of double-stranded RNA can lead to gene silencing by degradation of RNA molecules complementary to either strand of the dsRNA. Could RNAi be used in gene therapy for a defect caused by a recessive allele? A dominant allele? If so, what might be the major obstacle to using RNAi as a therapeutic agent?

What are some of the impacts of biotechnology on crop plants in the United States?

In the context of recombinant DNA technology, of what use is a probe?