What is genetic recombination?

Genetic recombination, also known as genetic reshuffling, is the exchange of genetic materials between different organisms, leading to the production of offspring with merits that are different from those found in either parent. One notable example of naturally occurring genetic recombination takes place during meiosis, when homologous chromosomes line up in pairs and exchange segments of DNA. In genetic engineering, genetic recombination also refers to artificial and deliberate recombination of DNA pieces to create recombinant DNA. This technique has found important applications in protein engineering to develop new proteins of biological interest.