Which of the following is a classic example of biotechnology?

• A. Production of insulin using bacteria
• B. Chemical synthesis of aspirin
• C. Physical filtration
• D. Mechanical chopping

Answer: (A)

Biotechnology uses living systems to produce useful products. Producing insulin in bacteria is a classic example because it shows turning a simple organism into a production factory for a human protein through genetic engineering. By inserting the human insulin gene into bacterial cells, these cells express and secrete insulin that can be harvested and purified for medical use. This illustrates how living systems are harnessed and manipulated at the molecular level to create therapeutics, a hallmark of biotechnology.

The other options fall outside this approach: synthesizing aspirin chemically relies on non-biological chemical reactions; physical filtration and mechanical chopping are purely physical processes and do not involve using living organisms or genetic manipulation.