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The ability, through nanotechnology, to manipulate matter atom by atom is enabling a new fusion of powerful technologies as nanotech, biotech, information technology and neurotechnologies (brain technologies) converge into one common technology platform. ETC refers to this convergence as BANG (Bits Atoms Neurons and Genes) since it allows flexible manipulation of the bits of information, the atoms of matter, the neurons of the brain and the genes that code for life. Examples of 'convergent' technologies include nanobiotechnology, synthetic biology, DNA computing and neuroengineering.

Concentration in corporate power is the defining feature of today's global economy. The life sciences industry is converging into new corporate structures that have profound implications for every aspect of commercial food, agriculture and health. In addition to our traditional focus on the "Gene Giants," (seeds, agrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, genomics, food & beverage processing and mega-food retailers) the ETC Group will monitor the control and ownership of emerging technologies.

The term "intellectual property" refers to a group of laws-such as patents, Plant Breeders' Rights, copyright, trademarks and trade secrets - that are intended to protect inventors and artists from losing control over their intellectual creations-their ideas. Intellectual property has become a powerful tool to enhance corporate monopoly and consolidate market power. Monopoly control over plants, animals and other life forms jeopardizes world food security, undermines conservation and use of biological diversity, and threatens to increase the economic insecurity of farming communities.

Any new technology monitored by ETC Group, aside from biotechnology and nanotechnology, can be viewed by following this link. This category will include, for example, informatics, neurosciences and robotics.

Synthetic biology brings together engineering and the life sciences in order to design and construct new biological parts, devices and systems that do not currently exist in the natural world or to tweak the designs of existing biological systems. Synthetic biologists, engaged in a kind of "extreme genetic engineering," hope to construct artificial living systems to perform specific tasks such as produce pharmaceutical compounds or energy.

Farmers' Rights, endorsed by FAO in 1989, recognizes that farmers and rural communities have contributed greatly- and continue to contribute- to the creation, conservation, exchange and enhancement of genetic resources, and that they should be recognized and strengthened in their work. The ETC Group believes that Farmers' Rights must be recognized at the international level, and that its definition should be expanded by the human rights community as part of the Right to Food.

Biological diversity refers to all living organisms, their genetic material and the ecosystems of which they are a part. It is usually described at three levels: genetic, species, and ecosystem diversity. Genetic diversity is the variation of genes between and within species. Genetic diversity within a species permits it to adapt to new pests and diseases, and to changes in environment, climate, and agricultural methods. Biological diversity is the cornerstone of sustainable agriculture and world food security.

The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO). The ETC Group relates primarily to the FAO Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, and the negotiations for a multilateral system of conservation and exchange of genetic resources for food and agriculture, known as the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Aside from responsibility for the International Treaty, the FAO Commission oversees the FAO-CGIAR Trust Agreement and provides policy oversight for the germplasm collections included in that agreement.

A variety of techniques that involve the use and manipulation of living organisms to make commercial products. These techniques include cell culture, tissue culture, embryo transfer, and recombinant DNA technology (genetic engineering). ETC Group focuses on the social and economic impacts of new biotechnologies. ETC Group is not fundamentally opposed to genetic engineering, but we have profound concerns about the way it is being foisted upon the world.