| Biotechnology and the world of colours have always | | | | developing countries' arise, and, 'whether transgenic |
| been intertwined. Nature's hues and tints are | | | | plants should carry distinguishing markers, such as |
| captured in their natural or synthetic state in a | | | | distinguishing colours, so that they can be identified |
| variety of market products. The flower markets of | | | | and not intermixed with other plants of the same |
| natural blood-red roses and gene-designed blue roses | | | | species' is under review for use in regulatory work. In |
| recently released in Japan are apt examples. | | | | space biology research, transgenic plants using blue |
| To-date notwithstanding the awe-inspiring snip and | | | | and green colours are being developed as biosensors |
| tuck techniques of genetic engineering, the legendary | | | | to indicate presence of certain kinds of stress. |
| 'Black Tulip' of French author Alexander Dumas still | | | | Nutritionists talk of a rainbow diet rich in |
| remains the 'Holy Grail of the Tulip world'. Several | | | | micronutrients and vitamins that make food naturally |
| types from 'Tulip Queen of Night' (1944) to T.'Black | | | | attractive and appetizing for a 'good feel'status. |
| Hero' (1984) constitute 'the category of the 'blackest | | | | Traditional medicine recommends eating naturally |
| of the officially 'purple' tulips'. | | | | coloured foods possessing natural phytonutrients in |
| Nature's wealth of colours have inspired celebrity | | | | their skin ingredients. A judicious choice of red |
| painters and poets ---French-born Hillarie Belloc | | | | (meat), green (salads), yellow (cereals and fruits) and |
| describes in verse the morphology of The Microbe | | | | violet (vegetables) foods contributes to the |
| with its 'seven tufted tails with lots of pink and purple | | | | sustenance of long-term good health in combating |
| spots.'; and schoolchildren to explore the microbial | | | | artificial diabetes and obesity. Blue cheese and black |
| world through the 'looking-glass' of Winogradsky's | | | | truffles are delicacies without added food colorants; |
| column with its purple and green bands ---consortia of | | | | and supermarkets may soon offer carrots in red and |
| the green and purple photosynthetic bacteria. | | | | purple with the orange variety. 'Research into |
| Blue-green cyanobacteria contribute to the economy | | | | different coloured carrots is not about making a |
| of Nature's important biogeochemical Cycles-the | | | | fashion statement but about potential health |
| nitrogen cycle. | | | | improvements'. |
| The Red Sea may derive its colour and name from | | | | In agro-trade, traffic-colours of amber and green |
| the red-cyanobacterium -- Trichodesmium | | | | define policies that distort trade of certain |
| erythraeum, but the destruction of numerous fish is | | | | commodities. Amber box policies signify 'caution' |
| due to the Red Tide population of the plant-like | | | | relating to 'price supports, marketing loans and |
| red-brown dinoflagellates. Pigments help classify the | | | | subsidies, and livestock quantities'. Green box policies |
| brown, yellow, red and green algae; and protozoa | | | | cover 'research, pest and disease control, and crop |
| and yeasts such as Euglena and Pichia. Nature's colour | | | | insurance and conservation programs'. Blue box |
| artistry occurs throughout the biospectrum | | | | policies --a temporary WTO category that |
| incorporating interalia green and purple bacteria, | | | | accommodates transatlantic negotiations, are |
| antibiotic-producing species of Streptomyces and | | | | 'redefined amber box policies concerning production |
| Nocardia, fungi that color cheeses, blue-green anoles, | | | | limiting programs'. |
| rainbow papaya and trout, and green fluorescent | | | | Biotechnologies described in colours spotlight salient |
| proteins responsible for the coloration of diverse | | | | aspects of research for economic development. The |
| corals and anemones. Green, yellow, orange-red and | | | | Cordia-EuropaBio Convention 2003 in Vienna in 'Blue |
| purple-blue chromoproteins are the raison d'etre of | | | | Biotechnology - Exploitation of Marine Resources' |
| fabled reef colours varying in the spectrum of | | | | focused on the 'Ocean of Opportunities' for sustaining |
| daylight conditions. | | | | development through rational use of marine |
| Verily, Nature's palette of pigments and paints | | | | bioresources. Europe's catalytic role in 'Green |
| underscores the need of bioresources centres to | | | | Biotechnology in Africa' resides in collaborative biotech |
| capture, classify and conserve the planet's | | | | education, research, development, and market |
| biotreasury lest extinction result from benign neglect | | | | ventures. |
| and commercial exploitation. | | | | In January 2004, a European Commission meeting at |
| 'Biomimicry...... is a new science that studies nature's | | | | the Biosciences 'Technology Facility', University of |
| best ideas and then imitates these designs and | | | | York, UK, recognized that any 'biotechnology |
| processes to solve human problems. ......Organisms use | | | | platform, developing bio-based products would have |
| two methods to create colour without paint: internal | | | | to be a concerted marriage of the 'White' together |
| pigments and the structural colour that makes tropical | | | | with the 'Green' and 'Blue' biotechnology sectors'. |
| butterflies, peacocks, and hummingbirds so gorgeous. | | | | Unlocking of bottlenecks could be achieved through |
| A peacock is a completely brown bird. Its "colours" | | | | programmes utilizing 'the synergies between green, |
| result from light scattering off regularly spaced | | | | white and blue biotechnologies.' |
| melanin rods, and interference effects through thin | | | | In 2005, the 12th European Biotechnology Congress |
| layers of keratin (the same stuff as your fingernails).' | | | | will use 4 biotech motors: white (industrial); red |
| New military clothing uses fluorescent colours, | | | | (pharmaceutical), green (food and feed) and blue |
| biosensors and bioinformatics at the nano-level to | | | | (environment) in 'Bringing Genomes to Life' in |
| mimic natural phenomena of biomimicry and | | | | Denmark. |
| chameleonic colours. Geofabrics coloured for | | | | The use of colour codes is seemingly the lingua |
| appropriate use contribute to landscape and urban | | | | franca of science policy in Germany. Sixty percent of |
| management --- conservation of golf courses and | | | | the 253 biotechnological firms with some 43,000 |
| park-lawns, and safeguarding creative and aesthetic | | | | employees in a survey by Hessen's Ministry of |
| instinct of humankind is embedded in of soil | | | | Economy were specializing in red biotechnology |
| embankments and floral gardens. | | | | (diagnosis and treatment of diseases); 4% were |
| The clean and green technologies. The first | | | | specializing in green biotechnology (agriculture, food |
| biodegradable green credit card was issued in 1997. | | | | production); and, 1% was in grey biotechnology (pure |
| 'Coral proteins put on the red light' in marine waters, | | | | industrial processes with an environmental nuance). In |
| and coloured glow fish function as indicators of | | | | Baden-Württemberg, over half of the biotech |
| pollution in aquatic reservoirs. Colours used in | | | | companies excel in red biotechnology with smaller |
| biotextile grafts make attractive and acceptable use | | | | numbers in the grey and green sectors. German |
| of bioceramic materials in dentistry, medicine | | | | market studies emphasize the white and red |
| orthopaedics, tissue engineering and veterinary | | | | biotechnologies. Red biotechnology accounts for |
| science. | | | | some 86% of all biotech companies. Green |
| Genetic research has contributed to understanding | | | | biotechnology with 27% is followed by grey |
| human eye and skin colour. The genesis of coat | | | | biotechnology with 10%. |
| colours of cats, dogs, rabbits, ponies, etc. has been | | | | In the USA, a 5 colour-coded security system from |
| deciphered. The head colour of birds too. Coat colour | | | | green (low) through blue (guarded), yellow (elevated), |
| alleles are used to produce sublines of mice for | | | | and orange (high) to red (severe) has been decreed. |
| studies concerning ageing, cancer, cardiovascular, | | | | Adoption of protective and self-defense responses |
| neurobiological and reproductive biology. The Big Blue | | | | involves all levels of vigilance and preparedness to |
| mouse is used to research cancer and | | | | combat and neutralize the threats of terrorism and |
| neurodegenerative disease. Yellow mice help localize | | | | those of bioterrorism that aim at destruction of that |
| gene mutations on specific | | | | country's security and its peoples. Colour alert |
| chromosomes.Custom-made mice --- the albino, | | | | systems for air pollution (USA) and inclement |
| cream, brown and black models are research keys | | | | weather (Mozambique) are indicators of time available |
| studying tumour biology. Indeed, 'the ability to follow | | | | for precautionary action by people susceptible to |
| coat colours' requires 'no complicated tools such as | | | | asthmatic and respiratory diseases as well as in |
| molecular genotyping' in 'the breeding and | | | | offsetting loss of life and bioeconomic resources. |
| maintenance of mutant strains.' | | | | In satire, a 'five (colour) level Mad Cow alert' exists. |
| Colours inspire, motivate and uplift humankind. Clinics | | | | The alert levels range from eating cow parts (green) |
| and psychological facilities use soothing colours to aid | | | | through limited beef consumption (blue) and exercise |
| convalescents. Colours exist in sports too. Winners | | | | of planned protective measures (yellow) to |
| express a sense of national achievement and pride in | | | | symptomatic mooing and chewing of the cud |
| draping themselves in their national flags. In EURO | | | | (orange) to a switch to fermented food - tofu (red). |
| 2004 - soccer and biopsychology met. To enhance | | | | Using colours to describe biotechnology constitutes a |
| local psychobiological advantage and patriotism the | | | | new mechanism in: |
| coach of the home team requested fans 'to wear | | | | - attracting school children to the microbial world in |
| something red or green' their national colours 'toface | | | | different environments; |
| the orange shirts' of their opponents' in a qualifying | | | | - teaching biotechnology in graduate and medical |
| match. | | | | schools; and |
| Corporate biotech is engaged in 'chasing the rainbow.' | | | | - providing sound bytes for use by non-technical |
| Former Vice-President Al Gore envisioned the 'pot of | | | | policy-makers promoting the biotech powerhouse for |
| gold at the end of the biotechnology rainbow.' | | | | sustainable development. |
| Entrepreneurs, however, focus their quest | | | | Dr. R. Colwell, Director, US National Foundation at a |
| 'somewhere over the genetic rainbow'. UN | | | | US-EC Biotech meeting in 2003 said: "If we could |
| policy-makers use colour-codes in combating, and | | | | weave a Flag of Biotechnology, some say, it would |
| designing solutions to problems of hunger and | | | | feature three colours: red for medical applications, |
| poverty. The UN Economic Commission for Africa in | | | | green for agricultural and white for industrial. In fact |
| 2002 described 'Realizing the Promise of Green | | | | this flag may accrue even more colours over time as |
| Biotechnology for the Poor' and 'Tackling the | | | | environmental and marine biotech and other |
| Diseases of Poverty through Red Biotechnology' | | | | applications add their stripes'. |
| ---technologies that involve using | | | | In that context, the colour index below may be a |
| genetically-engineered mosquitoes with the potential | | | | useful guide with further additions as biotechnology |
| to eradicate malaria; and gene modified foods | | | | and colours intertwine over time in promoting public |
| ---golden rice and orange bananas, enriched with | | | | perception and understanding of biotech applications |
| vitamin A to counteract the onset of blindness. | | | | for the cause of science, development, and the |
| 'Ethical challenges of green biotechnology for | | | | current and post human future of humankind. |