What started the study of the field of genetic engineering?
a. the emergence of cloning
b. recombinant dna technology
c. genetically modified organisms
d. combining dna technology

Genetic engineering has its grass roots from the recombinant technology.

Explanation:

Genetic engineering is seen to have started from a scientists activity which involved restriction enzymes and DNA ligases that were used by Paul Berg in 1972 to create the first recombinant DNA molecules. A monkey virus which is SV40 was combined with a lambda one. Following that, the results of the experiment and attempts were further investigated by other scientists and later, the first plant that underwent genetic engineering was the plant tobacco.