Recombinant Technology - The process that allows technicians to create artificial pieces of DNA in which two or more DNA sequences, often from separate organisms, are combined in ways that would not normally occur naturally.⏎
Plasmid - A ring of DNA usually found in bacteria that is separate from and can replicate independently from DNA in a chromosome and can provide bacteria with some advantages, such as antibiotic resistance.⏎
Natural Selection - The process by which certain heritable traits that contribute to the survival and reproductive success of an organism become more widespread within a population over successive generations.⏎
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) - Part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health, NIAID conducts and supports basic and applied research to better understand, treat, and ultimately prevent infectious, immunologic, and allergic diseases.⏎
Protein - Large molecules composed of one or more chains of amino acids in a specific order determined by the base sequence of nucleotides in the DNA coding.⏎