Final answer:
Genetic engineering is the process of modifying an organism's DNA in a lab setting to achieve certain traits, making it b. altering genes in a lab setting. Genetic engineering is used to create GMOs through a variety of methods, including molecular cloning and DNA fragment generation.
Step-by-step explanation:
Genetic engineering refers to the alteration of an organism's genotype using recombinant DNA technology to modify an organism's DNA to achieve desirable traits. The correct answer is b. altering genes in a lab setting. This is done by adding foreign DNA in the form of recombinant DNA vectors which are generated by molecular cloning, thereby creating genetically modified organisms (GMOs). If the foreign DNA comes from a different species, the organism becomes transgenic. Genetic engineering has a wide array of applications in fields such as agriculture, where crops like soybeans and corn are modified to be resistant to pests and herbicides, and in medicine, as seen with the development of mRNA-based vaccines.
GMOs are created by d. all of the above options. This involves generating genomic DNA fragments with restriction endonucleases, introducing recombinant DNA into an organism by any means, and overexpressing proteins in E. coli.