Current useage of "biotechnology" refers to the use of living organisms or their products to modify human health and the human environment but shortly biotechnology will produce completely new lifeforms (see genesis two project).
Using the techniques of gene splicing and recombinant DNA technology to actually combine the genetic elements of two or more living cells. Functioning lengths of DNA can be taken from one organism and placed into the cells of another organism. This method can for example use bacterial cells to produce human molecules. Cows can produce more milk for the same amount of feed. synthesize therapeutic molecules that have never before existed.
synthetic biology
Area of biological research that combines science and engineering in order to design and build novel biological functions and systems. The definition of synthetic biology has been generally accepted as the engineering of biology: the synthesis of complex, biologically based (or inspired) systems, which display functions that do not exist in nature.